^^  PRINCETON,  N.  J.  *^ 


Purchased   by  the   Hamill   Missionary  Fund. 


BV  3269  .C3  A37  1892 
Carey,  William,  1761-1834 
Serampore  letters 


WILLIAM  CAREY. 


SERAMPORE   LETTERS 


Being  the  unpublished  corre- 
spondence of  William  Carey 
and  others  with  John  Williams 


1800-1816 


EDITED    BY 

LeIGHTON.  AND    MORNAY    WiLLIAMS 


WITH  AN  INTRODUCTION  BY 

Thomas    Wright 


New  York  Chicago  Toronto 

Fleming    H.   Revell    Company 

Publishers  of  Evangelical  Literature 


Copyright,  1892 

BY 

LEIGHTON  AND  MORNAY  WILLIAMS 


PREFACE. 


'T'HE  introduction  of  Mr.  Wright  presents  very  clearly 
the  English  setting  of  the  letters  included  in  this 
collection,  and  the  notes  which  have  been  interspersed 
among  them  give  sufficient  explanation  to  form  a  con- 
tinuous narrative.  A  word,  however,  may  be  premised 
here  as  to  the  special  interest  of  the  letters  in  connec- 
tion with  the  centennial  of  the  Baptist  Missionary 
Society. 

The  letters  throw  a  new  and  unexpected  light  on 
the  American  connection  with  the  Serampore  Mission 
of  the  English  Baptists.  The  obstacles  placed  in  the 
way  of  the  English  missionaries  by  the  East  India 
Company  made  it  necessary  for  them  to  make  the  voy- 
age by  way  of  America,  and  they  were  thrown  on  the 
hospitality  of  their  American  brethren.  A  regular 
correspondence  thus  sprang  up  between  the  society  at 
home  and  the  Serampore  missionaries,  carried  on  from 
this  country  mainly  by  Dr.  William  Rogers,  of  Phila- 
delphia, and  the  Rev.  John  Williams,  of  New  York. 
A  warm  friendship  seems  thus  to  have  grown  up  be- 


iv  PREFACE, 

tween  the  brethren  on  both  sides  of  the  sea,  a  friendship 
which,  in  the  providence  of  God,  proved  of  no  little 
benefit  to  the  Baptists  in  this  country.  The  letters 
furnish  also  important  evidence  of  indebtedness  to  the 
Knglish  brethren  in  the  commencement  of  work  in 
America,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  letter  from  William 
Carey  to  John  Williams  announcing  the  conversion  of 
Judson  to  Baptist  views.  The  letters  have  a  third 
source  of  interest  in  the  evidence  which  they  afford  of 
the  active  missionary  sympathies  and  efforts  of  the 
New  York  churches  at  this  early  period.  The  credit 
of  the  formation  of  the  Missionary  Union  has  hitherto 
been  given  almost  exclusively  to  the  Baptists  of  Mas- 
sachusetts ;  but  it  will  appear  from  these  records  that 
the  earliest  missionary  society  in  this  country  was 
formed  in  New  York  City,  and  that  of  that  Society 
John  Williams  was  a  Director  and  Dr.  Carey  a  corre- 
spondent. Before  the  date  of  Judson' s  departure  for 
India  a  Baptist  Society  had  also  been  formed  in  this 
city  in  connection  with  the  Baptist  Association  ;  and 
even  before  the  formation  of  the  Society  the  Associa- 
tion itself  had  supported  the  Rev.  Klkanah  Holmes  as 
a  missionary  to  the  Indians.  In  this  work  of  Mr. 
Holmes,  Carey  seems  to  have  felt  the  deepest  interest. 
When  the  Baptist  Missionary  Society  was  formed  in 
New  York,  John  WilUams  became  its  first  president, 
and  John  Cauldwell,  a  deacon  of  his  church,  was 
elected  its  treasurer,  and  later  the  first  treasurer  of  the 


PREFACE.  V 

Missionary  Union.  We  have  thus  the  evidence  of  a 
share  in  the  origin  of  the  Missionary  Union  on  the  part 
of  the  New  York  brethren  fully  as  large  as  that  rightly 
claimed  by  those  in  Boston.  But  after  all,  perhaps  the 
chief  interest  of  the  letters  to  the  general  reader  will  be 
found  in  the  vivid  portraiture  which  they  bring  before 
us  of  the  man  to  whom,  under  God,  the  work  of  mod- 
ern missions  is  most  largely  indebted,  as  his  character 
is  presented  unconsciously  to  himself  in  the  thoughts 
and  feelings  to  which  he  gives  expression  in  these 
letters  to  a  friend  whom  he  had  never  seen,  but  whom 
he  knew  to  to  be  like-minded  in  faith  and  purpose. 
From  the  example  which  they  afford  of  wide,  unselfish 
interest,  and  a  firm,  unshaken  faith  and  determination, 
we  may  well  glean  lessons  of  the  highest  value  to  our- 
selves, as  well  as  a  juster  appreciation  of  the  narrow 
resources  and  deep  draughts  on  faith  out  of  which  this 
great  work  has  grown. 

Our  grateful  acknowledgments  are  due  to  the  friends 
who  have  aided  in  this  compilation,  especially  to 
Thomas  Wright,  Esq.,  and  to  Sir  William  Thomas 
Lewis. 

It  is  proper  to  state  that  the  letters  are  given  as  they 
were  written,  and  that  in  all  cases  the  spelling  of  native 
names  has  been  left  unchanged. 


II,I,USTRATI0NS. 


PAGE 

Wii^WAM  Carey Frontispiece. 

SuTcwFF's  House,  Oi^ney      ......         2 

Baptist  Chapei*  at    Oi^ney — Sutci,iff's    Tomb    in 

Lfft  Foreground 12 

The  River  Ouse,  near  Oi.ney 26 

Baptist  Church  in  Fayette  Street,  New  York    .        56 

Oi^NEY 74 

John  Wii.i,iams 94 

Andrew  Fui,i<er .        .106 

Fac-simii,e  of  Letter  of  Carey  Announcing  Ar- 

rivai,  of  Adoniram  Judson 142 


INTRODUCTION, 


THE   EARLY   DAYS   OF   THE   GREAT   MISSION- 
ARY  MOVEMENT. 

'T'HE  year  1892,  the  centenary  of  the  foundation  of 
the  Baptist  Missionary  Society,  is  a  fitting  time 
to  take  some  note  of  the  humble  twig  from  which  has 
sprung  the  magnificent  growth  of  Foreign  Missions — 
a  growth,  moreover,  which,  notwithstanding  its  noble 
proportions,  is  as  nothing  compared  with  that  vastness 
whereunto,  under  God,  it  will  doubtless  hereafter 
attain. 

To  whom  belongs  the  honor  of  first  pressing  the 
claims  of  the  heathen  on  the  Christianity  of  this  coun- 
try it  is  difiicult  to  say,  but  it  must  be  remembered  that 
in  the  spring  of  the  year  1784,  at  a  meeting  of  the 
Northamptonshire  Baptist  churches,  it  was  agreed,  on 
the  motion  of  the  Rev.  John  Sutcliff  of  Olney,  to  set 
apart  an  hour  on  the  evening  of  the  first  Monday  in 

I 


2  THE  EARL  Y  DA  YS  OF   THE 

every  month  for  social  prayer  for  the  success  of  the 
Gospel,  and  to  invite  Christians  of  other  denominations 
to  unite  with  them  in  it.  The  measure  thus  recom- 
mended was  eagerly  adopted  by  great  numbers  of  the 
churches,  and  so  marked  a  revival  of  religion  ensued 
that  it  was  afterwards  regarded  by  the  associated  min- 
isters and  the  missionaries  as  the  actual  commence- 
ment of  the  Missionary  movement. 

The  Rev.  John  Sutcliff,  who  was  born  at  a  place 
called  Straithey,  near  Hebden  Bridge,  Yorkshire,  in 
1752,  was  trained  for  the  ministry  at  Bristol  College, 
then  under  the  care  of  the  Revs.  Hugh  and  Caleb 
Evans.  A  paper  containing  ' '  a  view ' '  of  Mr.  Sutcliff 's 
studies  during  one  year,  and  the  letter  in  which,  when 
about  to  leave  college,  he  thanks  his  tutors  for  ' '  all 
favours  conferred  upon  him,"  are  in  the  possession  of 
Sir  William  Thomas  I^ewis.  Mr.  Sutcliff  was  tall  of 
stature,  being  over  six  feet ;  and  another  distinctive 
feature  of  his  personal  appearance  was  a  very  decided 
Roman  nose,  which  was  responsible  for  several  amusing 
anecdotes.  A  Baptist  minister  of  my  acquaintance  re- 
lates them  with  great  unction,  but  as  so  much  depends 
upon  the  way  they  are  told,  I  shall  make  no  attempt  to 
reproduce  them  here.  Mr.  Sutcliff  lived  in  a  large 
house  adjoining  the  chapel.  It  was  owned  by  and  the 
residence  of  a  Mrs.  Andrews,  a  member  of  his  congre- 
gation. The  house  is  still  standing,  though  much 
altered.     A  stone  near  the  roof  is  thus  cut : 


U 


GREAT  MISSIONARY  MOVEMENT. 


V6\\ 


It  was  in  1776,  at  an  association  meeting  at  Olney, 
that  Sutcliff  became  acquainted  with  Andrew  Fuller, 
and  they  were  fast  friends  during  the  rest  of  their  lives. 
Bom  in  i754at  Wicken,  near  Ely,  Fuller,  who  was  thus 
two  years  Mr.  Sutcliff 's  junior,  had,  in  1775,  been  or- 
dained to  the  pastorate  of  the  church  at  Soham.  But 
both  he  and  his  people  were  ' '  very  unhappy.  The 
place  was  truly  a  Bochim  ! ' '  Three  of  the  letters 
written  by  Fuller  to  Sutcliff  are  in  the  possession  of  Sir 
W.  T.  lycwis.  In  one,  dated  13th  of  March,  1781,  Fuller 
"admires  "  Sutcliff 's  *'  thoughts  on  divine  Jealousy," 
and  happily  remarks,  in  connection  with  the  import- 
ance of  searching  the  Scriptures  :  ' '  We  have  undoubt- 
edly many  excellent  bodies  of  Divinity  extant,  but  none 
perfect.  Notwithstanding  the  numerous  and  elaborate 
productions  of  the  pious  and  the  wise  through  succes- 
sive ages,  scripture  still  remains  and  will  remain  an 
unexplored  deep."  On  August  15th  of  the  same  year 
Fuller  wants  Sutcliff 's  thoughts  on  the  question  :  In 
what  manner  may  we  now  unwan'ajitably  expect  divine 
directio7t  ?  In  another  letter  he  recommends  his  friend 
to  "  Read  the  Bible,  not  with  a  sj^stem  before  your 


4  THE  EARL  V  DA  YS   OF   THE 

eyes,  but  as  a  little  child,  with  humility  and  prayer ' '  ; 
and  Sutcliff 's  letters  in  reply  were  in  a  similar  strain. 
In  1 782  Fuller  removed  from  * '  Bochim ' '  to  Kettering, 
where  he  found  himself  separated  from  his  friend  Sut- 
cliff, and  also  from  another  of  his  friends,  Ryland  of 
Northampton,  by  only  a  few  miles. 

For  the  furtherance  of  his  motion  of  1784  Sutcliff  in 
1789  republished  Jonathan  Edwards'  work  entitled 
' '  An  humble  attempt  to  promote  explicit  agreement 
and  visible  union  of  God's  people  in  Extraordinary 
Prayer,"  which,  according  to  the  title-page,  was 
''  Printed  at  Boston  in  New  England  1747,  Reprinted  at 
Northampton  in  Old  England  1789."  After  stating 
that  he  does  not  consider  himself  answerable  for  every 
statement  the  book  contains,  Mr.  Sutcliff  concludes  his 
preface  in  the  following  beautiful  manner  :  "In  the 
present  imperfect  state  we  may  reasonably  expect  a 
diversity  of  sentiments  upon  religious  matters.  Each 
ought  to  think  for  himself ;  and  every  one  has  a  right 
on  proper  occasions  to  show  his  opinion.  Yet  all 
should  remember  there  are  but  two  parties  in  the  world, 
each  engaged  in  opposite  causes  ;  the  cause  of  God  and 
of  Satan ;  of  holiness  and  sin ;  of  heaven  and  hell. 
The  advancement  of  the  one  and  the  downfall  of  the 
other  must  appear  exceedingly  desirable  to  every  real 
friend  of  God  and  man.  If  such,  in  some  respects,  en- 
tertain different  sentiments  and  practise  distinguishing 
modes  of  worship,  surely  they  may  unite  in  the  above 


GREAT  MISSIONARY  MOVEMENT,  5 

business.  Oh  for  thousands  upon  thousands  divided 
into  small  bands  of  their  respective  cities,  towns,  vil- 
lages, and  neighbourhoods,  all  met  at  the  same  time 
and  in  pursuit  of  one  end,  offering  up  their  united 
prayers  like  so  many  ascending  clouds  of  incense  before 
the  most  High." 

"  This  publication,"  says  Fuller,  ''  had  a  very  con- 
siderable influence  in  originating  that  tone  of  feeling 
which  in  the  end  determined  five  or  six  individuals  to 
venture,  though  with  many  fears  and  misgivings,  on 
the  mighty  undertaking  of  founding  the  Baptist 
Missionary  Society. ' ' 

Our  eyes  next  turn  to  the  remarkable  William  Carey. 
Bom  at  Hackleton  in  Northamptonshire  of  poor 
parents  in  1761,  Carey  was  at  the  age  of  fourteen  ap- 
prenticed to  the  shoemaking,  and  for  many  years  his 
life  was  a  continuous  battle  with  poverty.  Being 
determined  to  improve  his  mind,  however,  this  did  not 
deter  him.  He  got  hold  of  some  books  and  soon  we 
find  him  studying  the  Greek  Testament.  The  preach- 
ing of  the  Rev.  Thomas  Scott  and  other  divines  of  the 
neighborhood  led  him  to  serious  thoughts,  and  the 
perusal  of  a  work  by  the  Rev.  Robert  Hall,  senior,  con- 
vinced him  that  it  was  his  duty  to  proclaim  to  others 
the  Christ  he  had  found  for  himself.  Consequently  in 
the  year  1780,  when  he  was  only  nineteen,  he  made  his 
appearance  in  one  of  the  village  pulpits,  and  preached 
his  first  sermon. 


6  THE  EARLY  DAYS  OF    THE 

An  important  event  to  Carey  was  the  meeting  of  the 
Northamptonshire  Baptist  Association  at  Olney  in  1782, 
for  then  it  was  that  he  first  heard  the  Rev.  John  (Dr.) 
Ryland  preach.  The  text  was  ''Be  not  children  in 
understanding."  Says  Carey  ;  "I,  not  possessed  of  a 
penny,  that  I  recollect,  went  to  Olney.  I  fasted  all  day 
because  I  could  not  purchase  a  dinner ;  but  towards 
evening,  Mr.  Chater,  in  company  with  some  friends 
from  Earl's  Barton  saw  me,  and  asked  me  to  go  with 
them,  where  I  remember  I  got  a  glass  of  wine."  Pre- 
viously Carey  had  been  attached  to  the  Established 
Church,  but  during  this  period  his  views  on  the  subject 
of  baptism  changed,  and  accordingly  he  was  immersed 
by  Dr.  John  Ryland  in  October,  1783.  Having  now 
become  intimate  with  the  Rev.  John  Sutcliff,  Carey 
began  to  show  himself  more  frequently  at  Olney,  and 
by  and  by  joined  Mr.  Sutcliff s  church,  his  chief 
reason  for  doing  so  being  because  he  could  not  see  with 
the  people  of  Hackleton,  who  were  hyper- Calvinists. 
After  his  name  in  the  Hackleton  church-book  are  the 
words — 

'*  W^ent  away  without  his  dismission." 

Mr.  Sutcliff  put  a  Ivatin  grammar  into  his  hand,  and 
through  his  help  Carey  began  to  read  the  Scriptures 
in  Greek  and  Hebrew. 

There  are  six  entries  relating  to  Carey  in  the  Baptist 
church-book  at  Olney.     The  first  relates  to  his  admis- 


GREAT  MISSIOiVARY  MOVEMENT.  7 

sion  to  the  church  there,  and  the  last  to  his  dismission 
to  the  church  at  Moulton  in  Northamptonshire,  of  which 
he  became  minister  in  1787.  He  had  for  some  time 
been  married,  and  a  young  family  was  growing  up 
around  him,  consequently  seeing  that  his  congregation 
could  only  raise  him  ;^i6  a  year,  it  was  necessary  to 
keep  on  with  the  shoemaking  as  well.  For  a  time,  too, 
he  kept  a  school,  and  it  was  while  perusing  Cook's 
Voyages  and  teaching  his  pupils  geography  that  the 
great  project  of  his  life  was  formed,  for  no  sooner  had 
he  become  acquainted  with  the  spiritual  degradation  of 
the  heathen  than  he  felt  desirous  of  communicating 
the  Gospel  to  them.  As  he  sat  in  his  little  workshop  he 
turned  his  eyes  every  now  and  then  towards  a  large  map 
suspended  on  the  wall,  on  which  he  had  rudely  repre- 
sented the  spiritual  condition  of  the  various  countries, 
and  as  much  information  as  he  had  been  able  to  gather 
regarding  the  national  characteristics  and  the  popula- 
tion. In  this  workshop,  as  Mr.  Wilberforce  afterwards 
said  in  the  House  of  Commons,  the  poor  cobbler  formed 
the  resolution  to  give  to  the  millions  of  Hindoos  the 
Bible  in  their  own  language. 

Very  few  of  Carey's  ministerial  friends  gave  him  any 
encouragement,  but  among  those  few  was  one  who  was 
a  host  in  himself,  namely,  the  Rev.  Andrew  Fuller. 

When  Mr.  Fuller  first  heard  Carey's  proposal  he  was 
so  startled  by  the  novelty  and  magnitude  of  it  that  his 
feelings  resembled  those  of  the  infidel  courtier  in  Israel 


8  THE  EARL  V  DA  YS  OF    THE 

who  cried,  "If  the  I^ord  should  make  windows  in 
heaven  might  such  a  thing  be  ?  " 

At  a  meeting  of  ministers  held  about  this  time  at 
Northampton,  Carey  suggested  as  a  topic  for  discussion, 
the  duty  of  Christians  to  attempt  the  spread  of  the 
Gospel  among  the  heathen ;  when  Mr.  Ryland,  senior, 
sprang  to  his  feet  exclaiming,  *'  Young  man,  sit  down  ! 
When  God  pleases  to  convert  the  heathen.  He  will  do 
it  without  your  help  or  mine  ! ' '  Neither  daunted  nor 
discouraged  by  repulses,  Carey  embodied  his  views  in 
a  pamphlet,  which  he  showed  to  Mr.  Fuller,  Dr. 
Ryland,  Mr,  Sutcliflf,  and  Mr.  Pearce  of  Birmingham, 
and  they  advised  him  to  prepare  it  for  publication. 
Meantime,  in  spite  of  his  industry — for  he  still  worked 
at  shoemaking, — his  family  were  almost-  starving  ;  for 
many  weeks  they  had  nothing  but  bread,  and  only  a 
scanty  supply  even  of  that.  Now,  in  a  greater  degree 
than  it  had  ever  been,  his  indomitable  energy  was  in 
requisition ;  but  difficulties  seemed  only  to  spur  him 
onward  and  he  carried  everything  before  him.  Neither 
poverty  nor  disease,  neither  the  discouraging  remarks 
of  his  friends  nor  the  unsympathetic  conduct  of  his 
wife,  had  any  effect  on  his  tenacity  of  purpose,  or  if 
effective  at  all  they  only  strengthened  it. 

At  first  Sutcliff  and  Fuller  had  counselled  deliberation, 
but  in  April,  1791,  in  their  lectures  at  the  Association 
at  Clipstone,  they  expressed  themselves  as  eager  for 
instant  action  as  was   Carey.      Both   the  lectures  or 


GREA  T  MISSION  A  R  V  MO  VEMENT.  9 

sermons  bore  upon  the  meditated  mission  to  the 
heathen,  SutcHff's  subject  being  ''Jealousy  for  God," 
from  I  Kings  xix.,  10. 

After  the  meeting  Carey,  with  almost  agonizing 
earnestness,  pressed  immediate  action,  urging  that  some- 
thing should  be  done  that  very  day  towards  the  for- 
mation of  a  society  to  propagate  the  Gospel  among  the 
heathen. 

The  ministers  recommended  him  to  publish  his 
"Thoughts,"  and  soon  afterwards  his  pamphlet 
appeared  under  the  title  of  An  Inquiry  into  the  Obli- 
gations of  Christians  to  Send  the  Gospel  to  the  Heathen, 
The  next  Association  was  held  at  Nottingham  on  the 
30th  of  May,  1792,  and  Carey  was  appointed  to  preach. 
His  sermon  on  this  occasion  has  ever  since  been  remem- 
bered as  having  laid  the  foundation  of  the  Baptist  Mis- 
sionary Society.  He  took  for  his  text :  '*  Enlarge  the 
place  of  thy  tent,  and  let  them  stretch  forth  the  curtain 
of  thy  habitations.  Spare  not ;  lengthen  thy  cords  and 
strengthen  thy  stakes  ;  for  thou  shalt  break  forth  on 
the  right  hand  and  on  the  left ;  and  thy  seed  shall  in- 
herit the  Gentiles  and  make  the  desolate  cities  to  be 
inhabited."  From  this  text  he  deduced  and  enforced 
the  two  principles  which  were  embodied  in  the  motto 
of  the  Mission,  "  Kxpect  great  things  ;  attempt  great 
things."  And  such  ardor  did  he  put  into  his  discourse, 
and  so  ably  did  he  expound  his  views,  that  the  minis- 
ters at  length  came  to  the  resolution  that  * '  a  plan  should 


lO  THE   EARL  V  DA  YS  OF   THE 

be  prepared  against  the  next  ministers'  meeting  for  the 
establishment  of  a  society  for  propagating  the  Gospel 
among  the  heathen."  "If,"  said  Dr.  Ryland,  *' all 
the  people  had  lifted  up  their  voice  and  wept  as  the 
children  of  Israel  did  at  Bochim,  I  should  not  have 
wondered  at  the  effect;  it  would  only  have  seemed 
proportionate  to  the  cause,  so  clearly  did  Mr.  Carey 
prove  the  criminality  of  our  supineness  in  the  cause  of 
God."  At  the  next  meeting,  which  was  held  at  Ket- 
tering on  the  2d  of  October,  1792,  in  the  house  (which  is 
still  standing)  of  Mrs.  Beeby  WaUis,  the  question  of 
establishing  a  Missionary  Society  was  discussed  ;  and 
all  objections  having  been  overruled  by  Mr.  Carey's 
energy,  a  society  was  constituted  *'  to  convey  the  mes- 
sage of  salvation  to  some  portion  of  the  heathen  world. ' ' 
<::^  In  other  words,  the  Baptist  Missionary  Society  was 
^  formed,  the  first  of  our  great  societies  that  Mve  done 
so  much  towards  spreading  Christianity  in  foreign 
lands.  The  committee  of  five  ministers  which  was 
appointed  consisted  of  Andrew  Fuller  of  Kettering, 
John  Ryland  of  Northampton,  John  Sutcliff  of  Olney, 
Reynold  Hogg  of  Thrapston,  and  William  Carey.  The 
first  subscription  amounted  to  ^13,  2s.  6d.,  a  surpris- 
ingly small  sum  when  we  think  of  the  thousands  of 
pounds  that  have  since  been  collected.  And  yet, 
trifling  as  were  the  incipient  resources,  no  sooner  was 
the  subscription  paper  filled  up  than  Mr.  Carey  offered 
to  embark  for  any  country  the  Society  might  select. 


GREA  T  MI  SSI  ON  A  R  Y  MO  VEMENT.  1 1 

His  mind  was  fired  with  enthusiasm,  but  at  the  same 
time  he  was  fully  aware  that  great  difficulties  would 
have  to  be  encoimtered. 

Subscriptions  now  began  to  come  in  apace,  and  the 
committee  soon  found  themselves  in  possession  of  a 
considerable  sum. 

The  question  now  was  where  the  proposed  Mission 
should  be  established.  Carey,  who  had  drunk  deep 
draughts  from  Cook's  Voyages,  thought  of  Ota- 
heite  ;  Pearce,  who  had  been  reading  about  the  recent 
kindness  of  their  king  to  the  shipwrecked  crew  of  the 
Antelope,  suggested  the  Pelew  Islands.  But  just  at 
this  moment  a  gentleman  named  Mr.  Thomas  returned 
from  Bengal,  who  had  repeatedly  written  thence  to  the 
leading  Baptist  ministers  in  England,  giving  an  account 
of  his  conferences  with  the  natives. 

*' We  found,"  says  Dr.  Ryland,  "that  he  was  now 
endeavouring  to  raise  a  fund  for  a  mission  to  that 
country,  and  to  engage  a  companion  to  go  out  with 
him.  It  was,  therefore,  resolved  to  make  some  further 
inquiry  respecting  him,  and  to  invite  him  to  go  back 
under  the  patronage  of  our  Society. ' '  Although  a  man 
of  real  piety,  Mr.  Thomas  had  been  '*  guilty  of  many 
faults,  many  weaknesses,  and  many  failures  "  ;  but 
the  result  of  the  inquiry  proved  on  the  whole  satisfac- 
tory, and  it  was  resolved  that  Carey  and  Thomas  should 
proceed  to  India  together. 

"It  is  clear,"  said  Andrew  Fuller  to  Carey,  **  that 


12  THE  EARL  Y  DA  YS  OF   THE 

there  is  a  rich  mine  of  gold  in  India."  ""  And  I  will 
go  down,"  returned  Carey,  "if  you  will  hold  the 
ropes." 

The  following  entries  occur  in  the  newly  discovered 
diary  of  Samuel  Teedon,  the  Olney  schoolmaster.  The 
year  is  1793  : 

**  March  24  Sunday  '  I  went  and  heard  Mr.  Storton 
at  Mr.  SutcliiBPs  meeting  give  a  very  affecting  acct.  of 
the  progress  of  the  Gospel  among  the  hindows 
(=  Hindoos)  under  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Thomas  and 
that  he  and  Mr.  Gary  were  to  be  here  and  soon  embark 
for  their  mission  after  a  collection.' 

"  March  26  Tuesday  I  went  to  Mr.  Sutcliff^s  meetg. 
and  heard  Mr.  Gary  preach  the  Missionary  to  go  to  the 
Hindos  (=  Hindoos)  with  his  Son  about  10  years  of 
age,  a  collection  was  made  I  gave  ^d.  it  amounted 
almost  to  ^10.     The  lyord  prosper  the  work." 

It  is  deeply  interesting  to  recall  this  scene  in  the 
quaint  old  meeting-house.  The  enthusiastic  preacher 
in  the  tall  narrow  pulpit  against  the  long  back  wall ; 
the  cumbrous  galleries  and  the  old-fashioned  square 
pews  before  him  crowded  with  eager  listeners — the 
deep  and  perpendicular-backed  pews  with  their  doors 
fastened  by  wooden  buttons  and  their  backs  of  green 
baize  and  rows  of  brass-headed  nails  ;  the  large-faced 
clock  whose  solemn  tickings  filled  up  the  pauses  in 
the  sermon  ;  the  candles  in  their  wooden  blocks  dotted 
about  on  the  tops  of  the  pews  ;  and  the  noiseless-footed 


GREA  T  MISSIONAR  V  MO  VEMENT.  1 3 

brother,  whose  duty  it  was,  moving  hither  and  thither 
with  the  snuffers.  The  old  chapel  is  still  standing, 
and  has  been  but  little  altered. 

The  sermon  which  Carey  preached,  and  which  poor 
Samuel  Teedon  listened  to,  was  from  Rom.  xii.,  i  : 
"  I  beseech  you,  brethren,  by  the  mercies  of  God,  that 
ye  present  your  bodies  a  living  sacrifice,"  etc.  ;  and 
after  the  sermon  he  gave  out  the  hymn  commencing — 

"  And  must  I  part  with  all  I  have, 
Jesus,  my  Lord,  for  Thee  ? 
This  is  my  joy,  since  Thou  hast  done 
Much  more  than  this  for  me  " — 

pronouncing  with  great  emphasis  the  first  four  words 
of  the  second  verse — 

**  Yes,  let  it  go  : — one  look  from  Thee 
Will  more  than  make  amends 
For  all  the  losses  I  sustain, 
Of  credit,  riches,  friends." 

All  difficulties  having  been  surmounted,  Mr.  Carey 
and  his  family  and  Mr.  Thomas  embarked  in  the  Kron 
Princessa  Maria,  a  Danish  Indiaman,  on  the  13th  of 
June,  1793. 

The  commander  of  the  ship.  Captain  Christmas, 
"  one  of  the  most  polite,  accomplished  gentlemen,  who 
ever  sustained  the  name  of  a  sea  captain,"  treated  them 
with  every  kindness.  With  one  of  the  passengers,  a 
Frenchman,  and  *'the  most  presumptuous  and  hard- 
ened Deist ' '   he  had  ever  seen  or  heard  of,    Carey 


14  THE  EARL  Y  DA  YS  OF   THE 

engaged  in  disputes  almost  daily.  His  arguments  with 
the  Frenchman,  whose  dernier  ressort  was  *  *  to  turn  all 
into  badinage,"  availed  nothing  ;  but  with  the  crew, 
Danes  and  Norwegians,  amongst  whom  was  *  *  much  less 
irreligion  and  profanity  "  than  among  English  sailors, 
he  had  more  success.  Near  the  Cape  the  ship  got  into 
such  a  violent  sea  that  it  was  thought  every  moment 
she  would  go  to  the  bottom.  When  he  thought  of  his 
own  "barrenness"  and  the  mighty  work  that  lay 
before  him,  Carey's  courage  almost  failed  him,  conse- 
quently he  always  felt  peculiarly  happy  during  the 
times  when  he  knew  public  worship  was  going  on  in 
England,  and  in  the  reflection  that  ' '  hundreds  if  not 
thousands  "  were  praying  for  him.  It  is  very  charac- 
teristic of  him  that  in  this  his  first  letter  from  Bengal  he 
should  ask  Fuller  "to  send  me  all  that  are  published 
of  Curtis' s  Botanical  Magazine  and  Sowerby's  English 
Botany,  and  to  continue  sending  them  regularly,  & 
deduct  what  they  cost  from  my  allowance. ' ' 

At  Calcutta  Carey  met  with  fresh  difficulties  and 
troubles  :  in  the  first  place,  Mr.  Thomas,  by  his  impru- 
dence, dissipated  their  money  as  soon  as  it  came  in  ; 
again,  the  government  were  hostile,  and  he  was  in 
constant  fear  lest  he  should  be  sent  back  to  England  ; 
his  wife,  too,  gave  him  additional  trouble,  and  was 
constantly  upbraiding  him  with  their  wretchedness ; 
and,  to  crown  all,  his  family  were  attacked  by  sickness. 
Driven   almost  to   distraction    by   these   accumulated 


GREA  T  MISSIONAR  V  MO  VEMENT.  1 5 

troubles,  he  removed  to  the  Sunderbunds,  where  he 
took  a  small  house  and  cultivated  a  piece  of  land  for 
the  support  of  his  family. 

Early  in  1 794  his  prospects  brightened.  He  had  an 
invitation  to  take  charge  of  an  indigo  factory  near 
Malda,  which  he  reached  on  the  15th  of  June  ;  and 
here  he  passed  more  than  five  years  of  his  life,  free  from 
pecuniary  anxieties,  preparing  himself  for  more  ex- 
tended labors,  and  devoting  his  whole  income,  after  his 
family  had  obtained  a  bare  subsistence,  to  the  great 
cause  that  lay  so  near  his  heart.  Had  he  not  worked 
for  his  living  he  and  his  family  would  have  starved, 
for  the  money  sent  from  England,  all  put  together, 
amounted  thus  far  to  only  a  small  sum.  Towards  the 
close  of  1799  he  relinquished  his  appointment  at  Malda, 
where  his  principal  attention  had  been  devoted  to  the 
translation  of  the  New  Testament  into  Bengalee,  and 
took  up  his  residence  in  Serampore,  which  was  in  the 
possession  of  Denmark. 

At  home  the  committee  were  doing  their  utmost  to 
serve  the  Mission,  especially  Pearce,  Fuller,  and  Sut- 
cliff.  On  Fuller  devolved  the  duty  of  traversing  the 
country  for  funds,  on  Sutcliff  that  of  preparing  fresh 
students  for  the  Mission  field.  After  his  marriage  in 
1794  Mr.  Sutclifi"  moved  from  Mrs.  Andrews'  to  the 
house  in  the  High  Street  now  numbered  21,  and  this  and 
the  next  one  (No.  23)  constituted  his  seminary.  Both 
houses  have  since  been  considerably  altered. 


l6  THE  EARL  V  DA  YS  OF   THE 

Altogether  there  were  thirty-seven  students  educated 
at  Olney,  twelve  of  whom  were  specially  trained  for 
and  entered  the  Mission  field  ;  and  in  connection  with 
these  labors  we  have  the  authority  of  Mr.  Fuller  for 
stating  that  in  all  that  Mr.  Sutcliff  did  "he  saved 
nothing,  but  gave  his  time  and  talents  for  the  public 
good." 

In  May,  1799,  Carey  was  joined  by  the  new  mission- 
aries, Marshman,  Ward,  Brunsdon,  and  Grant.  After 
a  short  time  Grant,  Brunsdon,  and  Thomas  were  cut 
off  by  death.  Grant  died  on  the  31st  of  October,  1799, 
Brunsdon  on  the  3d  of  July,  1801,  Thomas  on  the  13th 
of  October  of  the  same  year.  Thus  the  number  of  the 
missionaries  was  reduced  to  three,  but  they  were  joined 
in  1802  by  another,  namely,  John  Chamberlain,  from 
Mr.  Sutcliff' s  academy  at  Olney.  At  Serampore,  where 
they  purchased  a  piece  of  ground,  built  a  house,  and 
established  schools,  they  received  the  kindest  possible 
treatment  from  the  governor,  Colonel  Bie  ;  indeed,  had 
it  not  been  that  Serampore  was  at  that  time  in  the 
possession  of  Denmark,  and  had  not  the  Colonel 
accorded  them  his  protection,  it  is  very  doubtful 
whether  the  Mission  could  have  stood  its  ground — so 
hostile,  at  first,  were  the  Kast  India  Company  and  the 
Knglish  government  authorities.  A  boarding-school 
established  by  Mr.  Marshman  had  great  prosperity  and 
yielded  an  income  of  a  thousand  a  year  ;  and  the  per- 
sistent study  of  the  vernacular  languages  of  India  at 


GREA  T  MISSIONAR  Y  MO  VEMEN  T.  1 7 

length  brought  lucrative  employment  to  Carey.  The 
governor-general,  Marquis  Wellesley,  had  taken  upon 
himself  the  responsibility  of  founding  a  college  at  Fort 
William,  in  which  the  junior  servants  of  the  East  India 
Company  might  undergo  a  regular  course  of  training 
for  the  public  service  ;  and  his  choice  fell  upon  Carey 
as  the  most  fit  person  to  fill  the  chair  of  Professor  in 
the  Sanskrit,  Bengalee,  and  Mahratta  languages.  But 
it  was  not  the  object  of  the  missionaries  to  make  money 
for  themselves  ;  each  took  for  his  personal  expenses 
the  smallest  siim  he  could,  and  the  rest  was  devoted  to 
missionary  purposes.  Out  of  his  income  of  /"  1,000 
Marshman  took  for  the  support  of  himself  and  family 
only  ;(f  34  a  year  ;  Carey,  out  of  his  legitimate  income 
of  ;^6oo,  was  satisfied  with  £\o  a  year  ;  whilst  Ward, 
who  did  such  important  service  by  superintending  the 
printing  of  the  translations  that  were  constantly  being 
issued,  would  take  only  ;^2o. 

On  the  28th  of  December,  1800,  Carey  had  the  privi- 
lege of  baptizing  his  first  Hindoo  convert,  Krishnu, 
who  a  few  days  previously  had  openly  renounced 
his  caste,  by  sitting  down  at  the  table  of  the  mis- 
sionaries. "Thus,"  says  Mr.  Ward,  ''the  door  of 
faith  is  open  to  the  Hindoos,  and  who  shall  shut  it  ?  " 

On  the  7th  of  February,  1801,  Carey  received  from 
the  press  the  last  sheet  of  the  Bengalee  New  Testa- 
ment, the  fruition  of  the  **  sublime  thought  which 
he  had  conceived   fifteen    years   before."     The  work 


1 8  THE  EARLY  DAYS  OF   THE 

had  been  pressed  on  with  such  diligence  that,  in 
spite  of  numerous  diflSculties,  it  was  printed  within 
nine  months. 

The  first  convert  of  the  kayust,  or  writer  caste, 
which  ranks  immediately  after  that  of  the  Brahmins, 
was  Petumber  Sing,  baptized  at  Serampore  on  the 
first  Sunday  in  1802  ;  the  first  Brahmin  convert,  the 
amiable  and  intelligent  Krishnu-prisad,  who  before 
his  baptism  trampled  on  his  poita,  or  sacred  thread, 
to  indicate  his  rejection  of  Hindooism. 

In  1803  four  more  missionaries  were  ready  to  em- 
bark for  India,  namely,  John  Biss,  Richard  Mardon, 
William  Moore,  and  Joshua  Rowe,  all  four  of  whom 
had  been  prepared  for  the  Mission  field  by  Mr.  Sut- 
cliff  at  Olney.  The  British  government,  however, 
distrustful  of  missionary  enterprise,  had  placed  so 
many  restrictions  on  the  carriage  of  missionaries  by 
English  ships  that  it  was  found  better  to  send  the  young 
men  first  to  America,  whence  they  could  set  sail  for 
India.  A  letter  from  the  Rev.  Andrew  Fuller,  dated 
December,  1803,  commends  them  to  the  Christian 
hospitality  of  John  Williams,  pastor  of  the  Fayette 
Street  church,  in  New  York.  "  They  and  their 
wives,"  writes  Mr.  Fuller,  **  are  members  of  Baptist 
churches,  and  have  walked  as  becometh  the  gospel. 
Bach  of  the  young  men  has  preached  in  our  churches 
with  acceptance."  This  appeal  to  the  hospitality 
of  the  American  churches  was  not  made  in  vain,  and 


GREA  T  MISSIONAR  V  MO  VEMENT.  1 9 

not  only  so,  but  the  visit  of  the  missionaries  to  New 
York  was  the  means  of  causing  all  earnest  Christians 
of  that  city  to  take  a  real  interest  in  the  welfare  of 
the  missionary  cause,  and  to  help  it  on  in  pecuniary 
and  other  ways.  Thus  the  interference  of  the  British 
Government  was  really  a  blessing  in  disguise.  The 
missionaries  set  out  from  New  York  in  the  ship  San- 
som  with  a  captain  who  was  ' '  quite  a  gentleman ' '  ; 
on  July  4,  1804,  they  had  got  as  far  as  Cape  Verd 
Island,  and  in  due  time  they  reached  Madras.  On 
the  4th  of  February,  1805,  Moore  and  Rowe  sailed 
for  Bengal,  leaving  Biss  and  Mardon  to  follow  them 
later  on.  On  December  16,  1806,  we  learn  that  Biss 
was  down  with  illness,  and  it  was  found  that  the 
only  way  to  bring  about  his  recovery  was  to  send  him 
back  to  England. 

*'  At  the  beginning  of  1804,"  writes  Mr.  Marshman, 
* '  the  missionaries  laid  before  the  committee  the  plans 
which  they  had  been  gradually  maturing  for  the  trans- 
lation and  publication  of  the  Scriptures.  They  stated 
that  there  were  at  least  seven  languages  cturent  in 
India, — the  Bengalee,  the  Hindoostanee,  the  Ooriya, 
the  Teloogoo,  the  Kurnata,  the  Mahratta,  and  the 
Tamul,  and  they  considered  it  practicable  to  make  a 
translation  of  at  least  the  New  Testament  into  some,  if 
not  all,  of  these  languages.  This  proposal  exactly 
coincided  with  Mr.  Fuller's  large  views,  and  he  intro- 
duced it  to  the  public  notice  by  making  a  tour  through 


20  THE  EARL  Y  DA  VS  OF   THE 

the  northern  counties  of  England  and  through  Scot- 
land— travelling  1,300  miles  and  preaching  fifty  ser- 
ious. ' ' 

The  principal  portion  of  the  translating  was  per- 
formed by  Carey,  who,  in  1805,  published  his  grammar 
of  the  Mahratta  language. 

In  1806  ground  for  a  mission  chapel  was  purchased 
in  the  I^all  bazaar  in  Calcutta,  and  a  temporary  bunga- 
low, or  thatched  house,  was  erected  on  it.  A  chapel 
was  afterwards  built  on  the  spot. 

In  the  same  year  the  work  that  the  I^ord  seemed  to 
have  begun  in  the  heart  of  a  Mussulman  who  lived 
near  Dinagepore  gave  great  delight  to  Carey,  who  says  : 
"  Whenever  he  comes  to  sees  us  he  joins  us  in  family 
prayer.  He  lately  demolished  an  Kedgah — a  wall 
with  steps  along  one  side  of  it  on  which  people  sit  to 
read  the  Koran — built  many  years  ago  upon  his  own 
little  estate." 

It  was  Carey's  custom  to  distribute  great  quantities 
of  tracts  every  time  the  people  met  together  to 
honor  "the  idol  Juggemath,  near  Serampore."  The 
Brahmins  used  ' '  to  tear  them  to  pieces,  and  thro' 
them  about  the  road,"  but  many  were  carried 
away  by  the  worshippers,  and  were  the  means  of 
doing   good. 

Among  the  kind  friends  who  rendered  most  accept- 
able aid  to  the  missionaries  was  Dr.  I^eyden,  the 
renowned  Orientalist,  formerly  the  friend  and  literary 


GREAT  MISSIONARY  MOVEMENT.  21 

associate  of  Sir  Walter  Scott ;  and  Mr.  Thomas  Man- 
ning, the  friend  of  Charles  I^anib. 

The  chief  work  of  Carey's  life  was  the  translation  of 
the  Scriptures  into  the  languages  of  the  East,  and  his 
philological  labors  were  immense.  His  Mahratta 
grammar  was  followed  by  a  Sanscrit  grammar  in  1806, 
a  Mahratta  dictionary  in  18 10,  a  Punjabee  grammar 
in  181 2,  a  Telinga  grammar  in  18 14,  and  a  Bengalee 
dictionary  in  1818  ;  these  are  only  a  few  of  the 
important  products  of  his  pen. 

While  God  was  blessing  the  labors  of  the  mission- 
aries abroad,  he  was  prospering  the  work  of  the  brethren 
in  England.  Internal  bickerings,  which  had  for  some 
time  troubled  the  denomination,  quickly  ceased,  for 
people  could  not  fail  to  see  the  folly  of  squabbling  over 
minor  differences  of  religion,  when  whole  continents 
were  without  the  word  of  God.  The  life  they  sought 
to  impart  to  India  came  back  in  a  double  life  from 
Heaven  to  themselves.  As  Andrew  Fuller  put  it  in 
his  letter  to  Mr.  Williams  of  August  i,  1804,  "  where 
any  denomination,  congregation  (or  individual)  seeks 
only  its  own,  it  will  be  disappointed,  but  where  it 
seeks  the  kingdom  of  God  and  His  righteousness,  its 
own  prosperity  will  be  among  the  things  that  will  be 
added  to  it." 

Among  the  passions  of  his  youth  that  clung  to  Carey 
all  through  his  life  was  the  love  of  flowers — or  rather 
the  love  of  plant  life,  and  we  often  find  him  sending  to 


22  THE   EARL  Y  DA  YS  OF   THE 

his  friends  in  Kngland  for  flower  seeds  or  bulbs.  His 
delight  on  beholding  an  English  daisy  springing  up, 
not  having  seen  one  for  thirty  years,  is  described  in 
one  of  his  letters.  It  was  this  incident  that  gave  origin 
to  the  well-known  lines  of  James  Montgomery,  com- 
mencing : 

*'  Thrice  welcome,  little  Knglish  flower." 

Writing  to  Mr.  Williams  on  November  ii,  1801, 
Carey,  after  sending  his  love  to  a  Captain  Hague,  says  : 
''  Tell  him  when  he  comes  to  India  again,  not  to  for- 
get his  promise  to  me  to  furnish  the  Garden  of  the 
Mission   House  with   some  American   Productions." 

In  1806  the  New  York  Baptist  Missionary  Society  is 
supposed  to  have  been  formed,  and  the  Rev.  John 
Williams  was  the  first  president. 

In  1 814  occurred  the  death  of  Mr.  Sutcliff. 

For  some  time  Mr.  Sutcliff  had  been  in  a  declining 
state  of  health,  but  on  the  3d  of  March  of  that  year, 
whilst  on  a  visit  to  London,  he  was  seized  with  a  violent 
pain  across  his  breast  and  arms,  attended  with  great 
difficulty  of  breathing.  It  took  him  two  days  to  get 
home,  and  it  was  soon  found  that  the  illness  was 
serious. 

The  last  sermon  he  preached  was  on  Sunday  after- 
noon, February  27th,  from  Job  xiii.,  5,  6:  "I  have  heard 
of  Thee  by  the  hearing  of  the  ear, ' '  etc.  Only  once 
more  was  he  seen  in  his  accustomed  place,  and  that 


GREAT  MISSIONARY  MOVEMENT,  23 

was  on  one  Sunday  afternoon  in  May,  when  he  rode  up 
to  the  meeting-house  to  administer  the  ordinance  of 
the  Lord's  Supper. 

**  The  last  time  I  visited  him,"  says  Mr.  Fuller  (who 
frequently  during  his  friend's  affliction  had  ridden  over 
to  see  him),  "  was  on  my  way  to  the  annual  meeting. 
Expecting  to  see  his  face  no  more,  I  said,  on  taking 
leave,  '  I  wish  you,  my  dear  brother,  an  abundant 
entrance  into  the  everlasting  kingdom  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ !  '  At  this  he  hesitated ;  not  as  doubting  his 
entrance  into  the  kingdom,  but  as  questioning  whether 
the  Xerm.  abundant  were  applicable  to  him.  'That,' 
said  he,  '  is  more  than  I  expect.  I  think  I  understand 
the  connection  and  import  of  those  words — "Add  to 
your  faith  virtue — give  diligence  to  make  your  calling 
and  election  sure — for  so  an  entrance  shall  be  minis- 
tered imto  jovl  abu7idantly y  I  think  the  idea  is  that 
of  a  ship  coming  into  harbour  with  a  fair  gale  and  full 
tide.  If  I  may  but  reach  the  heavenly  shore,  though 
it  be  on  a  board  or  broken  piece  of  the  ship,  I  shall  be 
satisfied.'  " 

Andrew  Fuller  died  on  May  7,  1815,  having  sur- 
vived his  friend  and  fellow-worker  only  one  year.  His 
motto  had  been  that  notable  verse.  Proverbs  iii.,  6:  "In 
all  thy  ways  acknowledge  him,  and  he  shall  direct 
thy  paths."  With  the  reliance  he  had  on  the  wisdom 
and  guidance  of  God,  allied  to  his  own  indomitable 
energy,  no  wonder  he  accomplished  so  much  for  the 


24  GREAT  MISSIONARY  MOVEMENT. 

great  cause  that  was  so  near  his  heart.  Almost  his  last 
words  were,  *'  I  wish  I  had  strength  enough."  "  To  do 
what,  father  ? ' '  inquired  his  daughter.  He  replied, 
"To  worship,  child." 

Dr.  Carey  died  on  the  9th  of  June,  1834,  in  the 
seventy-third  year  of  his  age,  and  was  buried  at 
Serampore. 

Meantime  a  fresh  generation  of  missionaries  had 
sprung  up,  and  among  those  who  continued  to  preach 
the  Gospel  to  the  heathen  were  several  of  Carey's  sons. 
Other  bodies  of  Christians  too  had  founded  Missionary 
societies  and  sent  ministers  into  various  parts  of  the 
world.  The  I^ondon  Missionary  Society  was  founded 
in  1795,  the  Church  (of  England)  Missionary  Society  in 
1799,  the  Wesleyan  Missionary  Society  in  181 7.  The 
interest  Americans  showed  in  the  good  work  has 
already  been  alluded  to,  and  the  agents  of  their  various 
organizations  are  still  doing,  as  they  did  in  Carey's 
time,  very  eiBfective  work  in  many  fields. 

THOMAS  WRIGHT. 


SERAMPORE   LETTERS. 


A  FTER  the  full  and  picturesque  account,  which  Mr. 
Wright  has  given  in  his  introduction,  of  the  events 
which  led  to  the  sending  forth  of  William  Care}^  and 
his  associates  in  1793,  it  may  seem  almost  unnecessary 
to  add  any  words  as  to  the  men  and  the  district  from 
which  they  came.  And  yet,  for  American  readers  at 
least,  some  little  account  of  the  town  of  Olney  may  not 
be  amiss.  To  those  accustomed  only  to  the  busy, 
bustling  streets  of  some  city  in  the  Western  world, 
Olney  would  scarcely  seem  to  deserv^e  the  name  of 
town,  consisting,  as  it  does,  for  the  most  part,  of  one 
long,  broad  street,  which  even  its  accomplished  and 
ardent  eulogist,  Mr.  Wright,  admits  to  be  somewhat 
deserted  ;  but  in  the  days  when  Cowper  was  living  in 
Olney,  and  Carey  cobbling  away  in  his  little  shop  in 
the  neighboring  hamlet  of  Hackleton,  Olney  must  have 
been  even  less  an  attractive  place  than  it  is  to-day.  Its 
roads  were,  if  we  are  to  believe  William  Cowper,  by  no 
means  desirable  ways  of  traffic  and  travel,  and  the  long 
bridge  which  spanned  the  marshes  between  Olney  and 

25 


26  SERAMPORE  LETTERS. 

Bmberton  has  become  classic  in  our  literature  for  its 
"  wearisome  but  needful  length." 

The  surroundings  of  the  town  of  Olney,  familiar  as 
they  have  become  to  those  who  love  the  story  of  Wil- 
liam Cowper  and  his  life,  and  picturesque  as  they  may 
appear  when  in  the  summer-time  the  meadows  are 
green  with  verdure  and  the  hedge-rows  bright  with 
flowers,  could  scarcely  have  been  of  the  most  healthful 
character  ;  at  least,  in  the  days  of  which  we  write. 
To-day  Olney  is  a  healthful  and  beautiful  village  ac- 
cording to  the  estimate  of  those  most  competent  to 
judge,  but  a  century  ago  it  was  noted  for  the  number 
of  low  fevers  that  were  prevalent  among  its  inhabitants, 
and  perhaps  the  true  explanation  of  that  general  tone 
of  despondency  which  marked  more  than  one  of  John 
Newton's  parishioners  is  to  be  found  in  the  malarial 
character  of  the  surroundings  of  the  town  rather  than 
in  the  moral  and  intellectual  tone  of  Newton's  teaching, 
which,  his  enemies  said,  drove  his  people  mad.  Be 
that  as  it  may,  however,  it  was  not  a  very  wealthy  nor 
a  very  wise  community  which  was  embraced  within 
the  confines  of  Olney  parish  in  the  closing  years  of  the 
last  century,  and  yet  it  is  to  this  little  town  of  Olney 
that  we  must  look  for  the  men  who  instituted  and  who 
moulded  the  great  missionary  movement  which  has 
spread  to  almost  every  country,  and  the  beneficent  re- 
sults of  which  can  be  measured  by  no  statistics  of  the 
census  gatherer. 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS,  2^ 

The  researches  of  Mr.  Wright  have  disclosed  the  fact 
that  in  1672  John  Bunyan  obtained  an  indulgence  for  a 
meeting  to  be  held  in  Joseph  Kent's  bam  in  Olney,  and 
under  this  indulgence  there  came  into  being  the  little 
Christian  Church  which  has  come  to  be  known  as  the 
Baptist  Church  in  Olney.  Of  this  Church  Rev.  John 
Sutcliff  became  pastor  in  November,  1775,  and,  ten 
years  later,  William  Carey  united  with  the  same 
Church  as  a  member.  When  Sutcliff  commenced  his 
pastorate  at  Olney,  John  Newton  had  been  for  some 
eleven  years  the  curate  of  the  parish  church  of  Olney, 
and,  for  a  somewhat  shorter  period,  the  poet,  William 
Cowper,  had  been  an  inmate  of  the  tall  brick  house 
facing  the  market-place  in  Olney,  which,  while  it 
boasts  no  special  architectural  beauties,  was  then  con- 
sidered the  finest  house  in  town.  Newton,  however, 
left  Olney  in  1780,  some  five  years  before  Carey  united 
with  the  Baptist  Church  at  Olney,  and  in  178 1,  Thomas 
Scott,  the  Commentator,  succeeded  to  the  curacy  of 
Olney  Church.  In  his  charming  little  work,  The 
Town  '  of  Cowper^  Mr.  Wright  has  pointed  out  the 
strange  associations  that  existed  between  all  of  these 
great  men,  and  the  way  in  which  John  Newton  influ- 
enced the  character  of  each  of  the  others.  Newton,  he 
says,  was  the  bosom  friend  of  Cowper,  the  spiritual 
father  and  friend  of  Scott,  the  adviser  and  warm  ad- 
mirer of  Carey,  and  the  kindest  relations  existed  be- 
tween him  and  Sutcliff  during  the  five  years  they  were 


28  SERAMPORE   LETTERS. 

contemporaries  at  Olney.  Yet  it  was  not  to  John 
Newton,  but  to  John  Sutcliff,  that  the  honor  came  of 
being  the  first  of  Christian  men  to  propose  the  setting 
apart  an  hour  on  the  evening  of  the  first  Monday  in 
each  month  for  social  prayer  for  the  success  of  the 
Gospel,  and  to  invite  Christians  of  other  denominations 
than  his  own  to  unite  in  it ;  and  to  this  suggestion, 
under  God,  it  may  be  truly  said,  is  due  the  inception 
of  modern  missions.  The  way  in  which  the  succeed- 
ing steps  were  taken  which  preceded  the  sending  out 
of  Carey  and  Thomas  on  the  13th  of  June,  1793,  have 
been  sufficiently  stated  by  Mr.  Wright  in  his  introduc- 
tion, and  without  further  preface  we  place  before  the 
reader  the  first  letter  of  the  first  Missionary  of  the 
Baptist  Mission  Society,  written  to  Andrew  Fuller, 
the  first  Secretary  of  that  Society  : 

TO  THK  SOCIKTY  FOR  THK  PROPAGATION  OF  THK 
GOSPKI.  AMONG  THE)  HKATHKN. 

Bay  of  Bengai.  17th  Oct  1793. 
DEAR  BRF^THRKN. 

Twice  before  this  time  have  I  written  in  expectation 
of  an  Opportunity  to  send  to  you — but  was  dis- 
appointed, once  was  in  the  Bay  of  Biscay,  by  the  Fri- 
gate which  convoyed  us  out,  but  when  she  parted  with 
us  the  sea  run  too  high  to  send  out  a  boat — and  again 
we  expected  to  put  in  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  but  as 


SERA M PORE  LETTERS,  2g 

there  was  a  prospect  of  arriving  at  Bengal,  before  the 
Change  of  the  Monsoon  we  did  not  put  in  there,  or 
any  where  else  ;  thus  far  through  the  mercy  of  God, 
however  we  are  safe  arrived,  and  all  in  good  health  ; 
thinking  that  we  shall  be  pretty  much  engaged  after 
our  arrival,  I  begin  my  letters  here. 

The  whole  of  our  stay  in  England  is  known  to  you, 
and  all  that  befel  us  there,  we  waited  at  Dover  till 
Thursday  Morning  the  13th  June,  when  we  were  called 
up,  and  saw  the  ship  lying  off  the  Harbour,  about  five 
oclock,  we  came  on  board,  where  we  met  with  the 
greatest  civility — which  has  continued  till  this  day — 
the  ship  is  called  Kron  Princess  Marie,  commanded  by 
Capt  J.  Christmas  an  Englishman,  whose  own  is  the 
ship  and  Cargo ; — and  who  is  one  of  the  most  polite, 
accomplished  Gentlemen,  who  ever  sustained  the  name 
of  a  Sea  Captain — He  immediately  ordered  the  great 
Cabin  to  be  separated,  that  we  might  be  well  accomo- 
dated— so  that  we  have  a  large  cabin  half  the  width  of 
the  ship  with  Sash  Windows  &  the  sides  papered  be- 
sides a  smaller  one — Mr  Thomas  likewise  has  a  cabin, 
and  tho'  we  went  for  so  small  a  sum  (all  the  other 
passengers  having  paid  100  guineas  each)  yet  no  kind 
of  distinction  has  been  observed,  but  we  have  all  met 
with  the  same  kind  treatment. — Four  more  Passengers 
are  with  us  in  the  ship,  two  of  them  English,  and  two 
of  them  French  men — One  of  the  French  men  is  the 
most  presumptuous  hardened  Deist  that  I  ever  saw  or 


30  SERAMPORE  LETTERS. 

heard  of;  I  have  almost  every  day  been  engaged  in 
Disputes  with  him,  but  to  no  purpose  his  dernier  res- 
sort  is  to  turn  all  into  Badinage — his  credit  however 
has  sunk  very  much  in  the  ship  upon  that  very 
account — The  Captain  is  a  man  of  very  extensive  read- 
ing but  never  meddles  with  anything  that  is  written 
upon  Religion.  He  is  half  brother  to  Lady  Langham  of 
Cottesbrooke  the  men  are  Danes  &  Norway  men  and 
if  there  is  no  religion  among  them  yet  there  is  much 
less  irreligion  and  Prophaness  than  among  the  Eng- 
lish. Our  first  mate  is  son  of  the  Superintendent  of  a 
district  of  Norway  and  from  all  that  I  can  learn  there 
is  more  real  Godliness  among  the  Established  I^uther- 
ans  of  those  countries  than  in  the  English  Establish- 
ment. They  seem  to  be  more  upon  a  level  with  the 
Scots — but  toleration  is  more  extensive  there  than  in 
England  for  no  civil  Penalties  or  disabilities  are  im- 
posed upon  any  people  for  Religion. 

Our  voyage  has  been  on  the  whole  very  agreeable 
and  pleasant  tho'  we  have  had  some  rough  weather, 
and  have  experienced  many  great  deliverances.  June 
the  13  Sailed  from  Dover.  15th  in  the  Bay  of  Biscay 
24  fell  in  with  the  Trade  wind,  25  passed  the  Island 
of  Madeira,  27th  passed  Palma  one  of  the  Canaries  and 
saw  Gomara  and  Fera,  but  could  not  get  a  sight  of 
Teneriff.  Saw  Flying  fish — 29  passed  the  Tropic  of 
Cancer— the  heat  by  the  Thermometer  72°  July  2.  Be- 
calmed between  the  Cape  Verd  Islands  and  Africa  heat 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS.  31 

86°  2ist  passed  the  line  Augt  ist  passed  the  Tropic  of 
Capricorn  and  on  the  20th  were  off  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  Our  Course  was  by  the  Islands  of  Trinidada, 
Saxenburg,  Tristham  de  Cunhas  and  then  from  Lat 
27  S  lyong  29  W  straight  to  the  cape,  hitherto  our 
voyage  had  been  very  prosperous  and  nothing  of  a  dis- 
tressing Nature  had  happened,  but  in  the  morning  of 
the  26th  we  had  a  very  distressing  accident — [There  is 
a  bank,  extends,  into  the  sea  from  Cape  des  Aquitas, 
the  most  southern  part  of  Africa  for  about  eighty 
Ivcagues  South — upon  which  runs  a  strong  current  and 
which  when  it  meets  the  wind  raises  the  sea  in  a  very 
tremendous  manner — We  were  in  S.  Lat  38°  and 
thought  ourselves  secure  from  that  Danger,  but  about 
one  in  the  morning  I  was  awakened  by  the  violent 
rolling  of  the  ship — and  found  stools  tables  &c  rolling 
about  the  Cabin— and  presently  Pots,  Glasses  &  every- 
thing in  the  ship  which  was  not  secured  were  Crashing 
at  once. 

I  arose  and  put  all  to  rights  in  our  Cabin,  was  just 
got  into  bed  again  when  Mr  Thomas  came  to  the 
Door,  and  told  me  that  we  had  carried  away  our  Fore, 
and  Main  Topmasts ;  I  begged  my  wife  &  children 
to  keep  in  bed  for  fear  of  having  their  bones  broken 
and  went  upon  Deck — where  the  scene  was  shocking 
indeed — The  night  (tho'  very  providentially  the  moon 
shone)  the  Sea  like  Mountains  beating  the  Ship  in  all 
directions,  the  masts,  yards.  Sails  &  Rigging  hanging 


32  SiSERAMPORE  LETTERS. 

over  the  sides  and  Beating  against  the  ship,  and  the 
men  upon  them,  in  every  part  to  unrig  them  and  let 
them  loose,  all  on  board  have  uniformly  declared  that 
they  never  saw  anything  like  it,  and  one  time  we  con- 
cluded that  she  was  going  to  the  bottom — Our  ship  is 
about  130  feet  long  in  the  Keel,  her  Burden  about  600 
Tons — she  was  mounted  on  the  top  of  a  sea  which  could 
not  be  less  than  50  or  60  yards  in  height  from  which 
she  decended  head  foremost  almost  perpendicularly,  or 
quite  as  near  it  as  the  roof  of  an  House  : — I  saw  her 
going — and  concluded  with  others  that  she  could  not 
recover  it,  had  but  a  moment  to  Reflect,  felt  resigned 
to  the  Will  of  God — and  to  prevent  being  tossed  over- 
board by  the  motion  caught  hold  of  what  was  nearest 
to  me — ^the  plunge  was  dreadful ;  her  Bowsprit  was 
under  water — and  the  Jibboom  which  is  fastened  to  the 
Bow  Sprit  carried  away — but  in  a  moment  she  recov- 
ered the  Plunge,  and  mounted  upon  another  Sea,  with- 
out shipping  an  Hogshead  of  water — at  last  we  cleared 
the  wreck,  and  set  our  main  sail  which  kept  the  ship  a 
little  Steady — in  four  days  after  this  we  had  a  violent 
gale  ;  but  except  the  uncomfortable  rolling  of  the  ship 
we  sustained  no  damage — it  took  us  up  eleven  days  to 
repair  our  loss — ]  and  only  two  days  after  that,  a  vio- 
lent squall  carried  away  our  new  Main  Topmast  Our 
fore  topmast  was  weak,  and  could  not  bear  a  Gallant 
mast,  so  that  we  were  forced  to  put  up  a  Jury  mast  for 
the  main  Topmast,  and  as  the  ship  was  victualled  for 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS.  33 

only  four  months,  and  we  had  but  little  water  left, 
the  Captain  determined^o  go  into  Mauritius,  to  refit — 
but  strong  Northerly  Winds  prevented  our  going  that 
way.  With  care  we  came  this  place  the  rains  have 
supplied  us  with  plenty  of  water — And  except  a  black 
woman  and  child  who  were  very  ill  when  they  came  on 
board  and  died  off"  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  the 
Carpenter,  who,  by  the  very  great  exertions  which  he 
was  obliged  to  make  on  account  of  our  misfortunes, 
caught  cold,  which  was  succeeded  by  a  pleurisy  and 
followed  by  the  scurvy  of  which  he  died  when  we  were 
within  six  day  sail  of  Bengal — we  have  had  good 
health — our  infant  has  thrived  more  than  if  it  had  been 
on  land,  and  the  children  are  as  well  satisfied. 

We  have  not  been  entirely  destitute  of  Religious 
opportunities.  Family  worship  has  been  constantly 
attended  to,  and  every  lyord's  day  we  have  had  preach- 
ing twice  in  our  cabin.  Our  congregation  has  some- 
times consisted  of  six  persons  besides  our  own  family — 
they  consisted  of  Norway  &  Holstein  men,  Danes, 
English,  Flemings,  Bz,  French,  or  rather  one  of  each  ; 
with  respect  to  religious  persuasion  they  were  Luther- 
ans Papists  and  Calvinists — we  had  some  very  pleasant 
seasons,  but  have  been  of  no  use  that  I  know  of.  Many 
private  seasons  I  have  enjoyed  of  great  pleasure,  and 
have  a  growing  satisfaction  in  having  undertaken 
this  work ;  and  a  growing  desire  for  its  success ; 
though  I  feel  so  much  barrennesss,  and  so  little  of 


34  SERAMPORE  LETTERS. 

that  lively  continual  sense  of  divine  things  upon 
my  mind  that  I  almost  despair  of  ever  being  of  any 
Use  ;  but  in  General  I  feel  a  pleasure  in  the  thought 
that  Christ  has  promised  to  be  with  his  Ministers  to 
the  end  of  the  World,  and  that  as  our  Day  is,  so  shall 
our  strength  be.  I  have  often  felt  much  pleasure  in 
recollecting  the  times  of  Publick  worship  in  the 
Churches  in  England,  and  reflecting  that,  now  perhaps, 
Hundreds,  if  not  Thousands  are  praying  for  me  ;  you 
will  also  easily  believe,  that  my  Friends  have  not  been 
forgotten  by  me  on  these  occasions. — Your  lo  oClock 
in  the  morning  will  be  our  4  in  the  afternoon,  there 
being  6  Hours  difference  of  time  between  you  &  us. 
Mr  Thomas  has  laboured  indefatiguably  in  translating 
the  Book  of  Genesis  which  he  has  now  accomplished, 
in  short  we  are  now  expecting  to  join  Ram  Boshee, 
&  Parbotee  in  a  few  days.] 

I  hope  the  Society  will  go  on  and  increase  and  that 
the  multitudes  of  Heathen  in  the  World  may  hear  the 
Glorious  words  of  Truth — Africa  is  but  a  little  way 
from  England — Madagascar  but  a  little  further,  South 
America,  and  all  the  Numerous  and  lyarge  Islands  in 
the  Indian  &  Chinese  Seas,  I  hope  will  not  be  passed 
over,  a  large  field  opens  on  every  side  and  millions  of 
perishing  Heathens  tormented  in  this  life  by  means  of 
Idolatry,  Superstition,  and  Ignorance,  and  subject  to 
eternal  Misery  in  the  next,  are  pleading.  Yes  all,  their 
miseries  plead,  as  soon  as  they  are  known,  with  every 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS.  35 

Heart  that  loves  God  ;  and  with  all  the  Churches  of 
the  living  God  ; — O  that  many  labourers  may  be  thrust 
out  into  the  Vineyard  of  our  lyOrd  Jesus  Christ — and 
that  the  Gentiles  may  come  to  the  Knowledge  of  the 
Truth  as  it  is  in  him.  You  will  do  us  very  great  ser- 
vice if  you  send  us  out  a  Polyglot  Bible,  (there  is  one 
at  CoUis's)  by  the  next  conveyance  ;  Ram  Boshee  is  a 
good  Persian  Scholar,  and  it  will  certainly  help  us  much, 
if  you  can  get  a  copy  of  the  Gospels  iri  Malay  it  will  be 
an  help  to  us,  and  I  wish  you  to  send  me  all  that  are 
published  of  Curtis' s  Botanical Magazme  a.nd  Sowerdys 
English  Botany  ^om  No- 77  of  Curtis  and  No  31  of 
Sowerby — and  to  continue  sending  them  regularly,  and 
deduct  what  they  cost  from  my  allowance.  Whatsoever 
is  published  of  note  in  England,  especially  among  the 
Baptists  I  hope  you  will  be  sure  to  send  and  I  hope 
that  in  return  we  may  be  able  to  send  to  you  tidings 
that  will  rejoice  your  hearts. 

Nov  1 6th.  After  beating  about  and  being  driven 
back  by  currents  for  near  a  Month  we  arrived  in  Bala- 
sore  Roads  on  the  7th  inst  and  on  the  loth  Mr  T  and 
I  began  our  labours — we  came  in  a  Ponvowah  from  the 
ship — and  at  slack  water  we  lay  to — at  a  Bouar  or 
Market — where  Mr  T  preached  to  the  people  they 
left  their  merchandise  immediately  and  listened  for 
three  hours  with  great  attention — one  of  them  pre- 
pared us  a  dinner — which  we  eat — a  Plaintain  leaf  was 
our  Dish  &  Plates — and  instead  of  Knives  &  forks  we 


2,6  SERAMPORE   LETTERS. 

used  our  fingers — when  we  left  them,  they  desired  us 
to  come  again — Poor  Ram  Boshee  was  waiting  for  us 
but  to  our  great  grief  he  has  been  bowing  down  to 
Idols  again — he  was  forsaken  by  European  Christians 
and  discarded  by  Hijidoos — and  he  says  I  was  very 
ill  of  a  Flux — nothing  to  support  me  or  my  family — 
All  said  Mr  T  would  never  return — I  knew  that 
Roman  Catholics  worshipped  Idols.  I  thought  I  had 
seen  but  a  small  part  of  the  Bible,  perhaps  the  wor- 
ship of  images  might  be  commanded  in  some  part  of 
it  which  I  had  not  seen,  I  hesitated,  and  I  complied 
but  it  was  for  a  piece  of  bread,  but  I  still  love  Chris- 
tianity much  the  best. 

25.  Ram  Boshee  still  keeps  close  to  us,  I  have 
engaged  him  now  as  my  Moonshee — and  am  often 
much  pleased  with  his  conversation,  we  also  hear  that 
Parbotee  stands  well,  and  that  he  and  Mohem  Chune 
are  coming  down  to  us — we  are  today  making  ap- 
plication to  the  Governor  for  uncultivated  I^ands  to 
settle  upon  which  (if  we  can  obtain  them)  will  be  an 
asylum  for  those  who  lose  cast  for  the  Gospels  sake. — 
I  have  had  several  conversations  with  a  Brahman  who 
speaks  English  well — and  being  unable  to  defend  him- 
self against  the  Gospel,  He  intends  to  come  attended  by 
a  Pundit  and  try  the  utmost  of  their  strength. — having 
so  many  letters  to  write  I  must  leave  ofi" — We  are 
all  well — the  climate  at  this  (which  is  the  Cold  Season) 
is  not  disagreeable,  except  it  be  the  great  difference 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS.  37 

between  the  Heat  of  Day  &  night — which  is  often  lo 
Degrees — but  the  heat  is  quite  tolerable —  Mr  T  will 
give  an  account  of  proper  articles  of  Trade  to  send 
out,  and  as  our  Families  are  so  different,  and  I  have 
the  expence  of  a  Moonshee  too — I  hope  the  Society 
will  settle  the  proportion  between  us — The  more  I 
know  the  more  I  love  him — He  is  a  very  holy  man 
— but  his  faithfulness  often  degenerates  into  Personality 
(tho'  not  to  me  for  we  live  in  the  greatest  Love)  which 
may  account  for  the  difference  between  Mr  Grant  & 
him.  My  family  is  well,  all  Join  in  love  to  you,  your 
people  ;  all  ministers,  and  Christians  that  you  see  & 
write  to,  &  the  Society  especially 

I  am  Yours  most  ajGfectly. 

W  Carboy 

MR  FUI.LER 

Dec.  i6th. 

Since  writing  the  above,  we  have  been  near  a  month 
at  Bandel  a  Portugese  settlement,  we  have  given  up 
our  intentions  of  applying  for  Waste  I^ands  at  Present, 
on  account  of  the  Danger  from  the  Tigers,  and  the 
expense  of  Cultivation — ^but  we  are  now  going  further 
up  the  country  perhaps  to  Nuddea,  Cuiiva,  Gowr^  or 
Maloa,  but  as  it  is  uncertain  which — I  must  wish  you 
to  direct  all  I^etters  to  either  Mr  T  or  me — to  be  left 
at  the  Post  Office  Calcutta  till  called  for. 

We  have  frequent  Opportunities  of  addressing  the 
Hindoos,  and  their  attention  is  astonishing — lastl^ord's 


38  SERAMPORE   LETTERS. 

day  we  went,  and  Mr  Thomas  preached  to  near  two 
Hundreds  of  them  at  Saa-Gunge  a  village  near  us — 
they  listened  with  great  Seriousness,  and  several  fol- 
lowed us  to  make  further  enquiries  about  what  is  the 
way  to  Heaven,  and  how  they  should  do  to  walk  therein 
— every  place  presents  a  pleasing  prospect  to  us  of  suc- 
cess— and  we  are  of  one  mind  and  one  soul — ^pray  for 
us — we  duly  remember  you — and  the  prosperity  of  the 

Society  lies  very  near  our  Hearts 

W  Carey 
Rev  A.  FUI.I.KR 

Kettering 

Northamptonshire 

There  is  a  peculiar  interest  attaching  to  this  letter  to 
those  who  read  it  in  the  light  of  the  events  that  have 
succeeded  its  writing,  and  it  is  not  difficult  for  the 
imagination  to  picture  the  varying  emotions  with 
which  it  must  have  been  received  by  the  friends  of 
Carey  in  England,  and  by  those  who,  far  from  being 
his  friends,  had  looked  upon  his  embassy  as  the  wildest 
and  most  dangerous  of  chimeras.  To  the  hostile  critic 
there  was  not  a  little  in  the  letter  to  furnish  material 
for  jest  and  ridicule.  The  quaint  phraseology,  the 
almost  child-like  expressions  of  wonder  at  the  new 
sights  and  terrors  of  the  sea,  the  exaggerated  estimates 
of  the  immensity  of  waves  fifty  or  sixty  yards  high, 
were  easy  subjects  for  the  perverted  ingenuity  of  the 
satirist,  and  it  is  scarcely  remarkable  that  these  letters 


SERAMPOKE  LETTERS.  39 

and  the  similar  ones  that  followed  should  have  seemed 
to  men  like  Sydney  Smith  only  the  vaporings  of  igno- 
rant and  diseased  zeal.  But  to  those  who  had,  like 
Andrew  Fuller,  come  to  know  more  of  the  deep  pur- 
pose that  dominated  the  life  of  William  Carey  and  of 
that  passion  for  souls  which  mastered  all  his  activity, 
the  apparent  crudities  must  have  vanished  away,  and 
the  only  feeling  that  could  have  been  left  in  the  mind 
must  have  been  one  of  profound  admiration  for  the  man 
who,  without  stopping  to  count  the  cost,  and  with 
scarcely  any  intelligent  apprehension  of  the  perils  and 
dangers  that  he  had  to  incur,  had  flung  himself  reso- 
lutely into  the  vanguard  of  what  all  but  he  and  a  few 
like-minded  associates  must  have  regarded  as  the  most 
forlorn  of  hopes.  But  to-day,  as  we  read  the  narrative, 
when  a  century  has  gone  by,  and  the  writer  and  his 
critics  have  all  passed,  leaving  words  only  to  be  their 
judges,  there  can  be  little  doubt  as  to  what  the  verdict 
of  history  shall  be,  and  the  most  merciful  judgment 
that  will  be  likely  to  be  passed  upon  the  critic  will  be 
that  of  Carey  on  poor  Ram  Boshee — that  he  knew  no 
better. 

The  letter  that  follows  owes  its  chief  interest  to  the 
fact  that  it  was  written  from  Debarta,  where,  for  a  little 
time,  the  missionaries  hoped  they  might  find  the  oppor- 
tunity of  establishing  a  station  within  the  Company's 
territory.  But  events  proved  that  the  judgment  of  the 
natives,  as  Carey  records  it,  that   ''  Englishmen  are 


40  SERA M PORE  LETTERS. 

worse  than  Tygers  ' '  was  not  altogether  out  of  the 
way,  for  it  was  Englishmen  and  not  tigers  who  drove  the 
little  missionar}^  colony  from  English  territory  to  seek 
a  harbor  on  Danish  soil ;  and  the  next  letter  which  we 
present  to  the  reader,  signed  by  all  of  the  five  mission- 
aries, and  dated  at  Serampore  April  25,  1800,  gives  the 
account  of  the  formation  of  the  first  Baptist  Church  in 
India,  and  of  the  foundation  of  the  first  permanent 
mission  undertaken  by  the  Society  to  the  Hindoos. 

DebarTa  Feby  15th,  1794. 
MY  DEAR  FRIKND 

I  do  not  expect  that  you  will  receive  this  till  some 
time  after  the  other  letters,  the  last  ships  being  hast- 
ened away  upon  account  of  the  numerous  Privateers 
fitted  out  from  Mauritius.  On  this  account  also  I  shall 
not  be  able  to  write  to  so  many  of  my  friends  in  Eng- 
land as  I  wished,  being  even  uncertain  whether  even 
this  will  arrive  at  Calcutta  soon  enough  for  the  ships. — 
Nor  have  I  anything  of  importance  to  communicate 
more  than  I  have  already  written — except  that  Mr  T 
is  now  settled  in  his  profession  at  Calcutta — where  he 
pursues  the  Mission  also,  and  I  have  taken  a  few  acres 
of  Land  at  Hasuabad  near  this  place ;  which  is  about 
40  miles  East  of  Calcutta  upon  the  River  Juboua — I  am 
now  at  the  house  of  a  Mr  Short,  a  Servant  of  the 
Company,  who  generously  invited  us  all,  tho'  before 
entirely  unknown  to  him,  to  stay  at  his  house  till  we 


SERAMPORE   LETTERS.  4I 

have  erected  one  of  our  own  ;  and  which  I  am  now 
engaged  in.  The  Walls  will  be  made  with  mats 
fastened  to  Posts  of  Wood,  and  the  roof  with  Bamboo 
and  Thatched  ;  In  this  work  the  neighbouring  inhabi- 
tants yield  me  a  little  assistance,  and  a  great  number 
of  people,  about  four  or  five  hundred  families  intend  to 
come  and  reside  in  our  neighbourhood,  this  is  princi- 
pally occasioned  by  Moonshee  telling  them  that  I  am 
not  like  the  other  Englishmen,  but  that  I  shall  be  like 
a  Father  to  them,  the  Country  is  an  excellent  soil,  but 
has  lately  been  deserted  almost  upon  account  of  the 
Tygers,  and  other  Beasts  of  prey  which  infest  the 
Place ;  but  all  these  are  afraid  of  a  Gun,  and  will  be 
soon  expelled — this  people  therefore  are  not  afraid 
when  an  European  is  nigh — but  have  kept  from  other's 
because  they  think  Englishmen  worse  than  Tygers ; 
We  shall  have  all  the  nesscessaries  of  Life  except  Bread 
for  which  rice  must  be  a  substitute — Wild  hogs,  Deers 
&  Fowls  are  to  be  procured  by  the  Gun  &  must 
supply  us  with  a  considerable  part  of  our  food,  and  in 
the  woods' — there  are  Rhinoceros's  which  are  good  food, 
but  is  dangerous  going  after  them  for  fear  of  Tygers — 
the  greatest  inconvenience  I  find  is  that  of  our  being 
separated  so  far,  and  having  so  much  of  my  time  neces- 
sarily taken  up  in  procuring  provisions,  and  cultivating 
my  little  Farm.  When  my  House  is  built  however  I 
shall  have  much  more  leisure,  than  I  now  have,  and 
shall  have  daily  opportunity  of  conversing  with  the 


42  SERAMPORE  LETTERS. 

natives  and  pursuing  the  work  of  the  Mission  ;  There 
is  certainly  a  large  field  here  for  usefulness,  much 
larger  than  you  conceive,  both  amongst  the  Hindoos, 
and  Mussulmen.  They  are  very  numerous  very  in- 
quisitive, and  very  attentive  to  the  Gospel ;  when  I  can 
so  far  know  the  I^anguage  as  to  preach  in  it,  I  have  no 
doubt  of  having  a  stated  Congregation  ;  and  I  much 
hope  to  send  you  some  more  pleasing  accounts  than  at 
present  I  can.  I  can  so  far  converse  in  the  I^anguage 
as  to  be  understood  in  most  things  belonging  to  Eating 
&  Drinking,  Buying,  and  Selling  &ct  and  my  ear  is 
somewhat  familiarised  to  the  Bengalic  Sounds. 

It  is  a  language  of  a  very  singular  Construction 
having  no  Plurals  except  to  Pronouns;  and  not  a 
singular  Preposition  in  it — but  the  Cases  of  Nouns  and 
Pronouns  are  almost  endless,  all  the  words  answering 
to  our  prepositions,  being  put  after  the  word  and  form- 
ing a  new  Case ;  Excepting  these  irregularities  I  find 
it  an  easy  Language. 

I  never  felt  myself  more  happy  in  any  undertaking 
than  this  and  tho'  I  never  felt  the  loss  of  Social  Re- 
ligion so  much  as  now  yet  a  consciousness  of  having 
given  up  all  for  God,  is  a  support  and  the  work  with 
all  its  attendant  inconveniences  is  to  me  a  rich  reward. 

I  hope  the  Society  still  prospers  and  think  they  would 
do  well  if  they  would  still  keep  their  eye  towards 
Africa  or  Asia — these  countries  are  not  like  the  wilds 
of  America  where  long  labour  will  scarce  collect  sixty 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS.  43 

people  to  hear  the  word,  for  here  it  is  almost  impossible 
to  go  out  of  the  way  of  Hundreds  and  Preachers  are 
wanted  a  thousand  times  more  than  people  to  preach 
to,  there  are  in  India  the  Mahrattas  Country,  and  all 
the  Northern  parts  to  Cashmere,  and  not  a  soul  that 
thinks  of  God  aright.  I  have  been  mentioned  to  Gov- 
ernment, by  a  person  high  in  office,  and  utterly 
unknown  to,  and  unthought  of  by  me,  as  a  proper 
person  to  send  to  Tibet,  and  Assam,  to  make  dis- 
coveries which  they  have  much  at  Heart.  Should  this 
take  place,  it  would  open  a  new  and  wide  door  for 
usefulness  in  a  Country,  remote  from  the  Knowledge 
of  European's ;  but  at  present  many  obstacles  are  in 
the  way,  all  these  nations  are  afraid  that  the  English 
have  designs  to  subjugate  them  as  they  have  Bengal — 
— however  there  is  work  enough  here  or  any  where  else 
in  this  Country. 

My  wife  &  two  Children  have  been  very  ill  indeed 
of  the  Bloody  Flux  I  believe  occasioned  by  the  Cold 
nights,  succeeding  to  Hot  Days.  The  Thermometer 
differing  about  15  or  20  degrees  between  day  &  night — 
but  they  are  mercifully  recovered. 

I  hope  you  will  send  me  an  account  of  every  thing 
Important  in  the  Churches, — especially  Leicester, — my 
love  to  all  Ministers — all  Christians,  your  own  people, 
&c.  [especially  remember  me  to  Mrs  Wallis,  Mr  Gotch 
— Timms,  Hobson,  &ct  for  I  dont  know  where  to  stop 
— Inform  Mr  Hogg,  that  it  is  impossible  to  send  him 


44  SERAMPORE  LETTERS, 

the  small  Quantity  of  Sugar  he  mentioned  to  me  with- 
out it  which  neither  himself  or  me  could  approve 
of.  I  have  enclosed  the  wings  of  a  Flying  fish  which 
flew  on  board  our  ship,  they  may  be  acceptable  as  a 
Curiosity] 

You  must  not  expect  my  Journal  till  next  year.  I 
regularly  keep  one  which  I  intend  then  to  Transmit. 
[My  particular  love  to  Messrs  Ryland,  Sutcliff  & 
Morris 

I  am  yours  very  afifectly. 

Wm  CarKy 
[Direct  to  me  or  Mr  T  at  Calcutta  to  be  Left  at  the 

Post  Office] 
Revd.  A  FuIvI.:er 
Kettering 
Northamptonshire 


SORAMPOOR 

25th  April  1800 

DKARI.Y   BKI.OVKD   BRETHREN 

•  Scarce  any  thing  gives  us  more  pleasure  than  thus  to 
write  to  you,  except  it  be  the  reception  of  letters  from 
you.  Letters  which  (some  of  us  at  least  can  say)  have 
often  rejoiced  our  hearts  ;  not  merely  as  expressions  of 
your  regard  for  Us^  but  as  conveying  to  us  the  pleasing 
Intelligence  of  the  Growing  Interest  of  our  LORD  in 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS.  45 

those  parts  of  the  world  which  you  are  more  conversant 
with  than  ourselves. 

We  have  agreed  to  write /^«r  Public  letters  (at  least) 
every  year  ;  to  be  drawn  up  by  each  Brother  in  Rotation 
and  signed  by  the  Whole.  [The  last  was  written  the 
latter  end  of  February  or  beginning  of  March.  From 
that  time  to  the  Present  we  have  dwelt  in  the  Midst  of 
noise  ;  the  sound  of  Axes  &  Hammers. 

But  now  our  Business  of  this  kind  is  drawing  to  a 
close  :  The  House  &  Premises  we  thought  good  to 
purchase,  were  well  worth  the  price  we  paid  for  them. 
But  to  accomodate  them  to  so  large  a  Family,  or 
rather  to  so  many  Families  as  we  consist  of,  has  occa- 
sioned considerable  labour  &  expense.  We  have 
built  a  schoolhouse — a  Verandah  on  the  South  side  of 
the  Dwelling  House  in  order  to  break  off  the  violence 
of  the  Sun,  and  to  serve  as  a  lodging  room  for  the 
Scholars  we  hope  to  have.  Besides  these  a  long  train 
of  Expenses  have  occurred  in  paper  for  Printing  &c  &c. 
We  have  already  drawn  on  you  for  £2>2^  "ii  "6  in  the 
manner  following. — ) 


£ 

In  favour 

of  Captain    Passmore 

600 

Do       *' 

"    Mr    Dexter    . 

. 

25 

Do       " 

"    Mr    Dickson 

. 

172-4-6 

Do       " 

"   Mr    Powell     . 

. 

7-7- 

Do       '• 

"    Mr    Dalton    . 

• 

25 

^829  ''  II  "  6 

46  SERAMPORE  LETTERS.   • 

This  Sum  is  all  expended  :  Nor  is  it  in  our  power  to 
Negociate  any  more  Bills  at  present.  A  kind  friend 
however  has  just  lent  us  looo  Rupees  at  6  per  cent  in 
half  the  Coys  Interest. 

You  will  please  therefore  to  send  us  Relief  as  soon  as 
possible.  Send  as  much  money  as  you  can,  not  only 
that  our  Wants  may  be  releived,  but  that  we  may  put 
it  out  to  interest.  On  the  first  of  May  the  school  will 
be  opened  from  wch  we  hope  to  derive  considerable 
assistance  and  so  lighten  your  Burdens.  We  cannot 
indeed  tell  how  it  may  succeed,  but  from  the  kindness 
of  friends,  we  have  much  reason  to  hope  that  it  will 
prosper] 

Though  we  have  had  much  business  upon  our  Hands 
since  we  have  been  at  this  place,  our  Hearts  have  not 
been  taken  from  the  one  grand  Object. 

We  have  gone  on  Translating  &  revising  the 
Scriptures — Preaching  the  Word — and  Learning  the 
Language.  Brother  Ward  assisted  by  Brother  Bruns- 
don  has  been  busily  employed  in  Printing  Hymns  & 
Copies  of  the  Commandments.  They  are  now  printing 
a  Book  for  the  use  of  Schools,  compiled  by  Bror 
Marshman ;  intended  more  immediately  for  our  own 
school,  but  which  we  hope  will  be  acceptable  in  others. 
Upon  examining  the  Bengalle  T3rpes  it  is  found  that  a 
few  Pholas  are  wanting.  These  we  hope  to  have  com- 
plete in  a  week  or  ten  day's  from  this  time,  and  then  to 


SERA M PORE  LETTERS.  47 

begin  printing  the  Holy  Shastro  of  our  God,  which  in 
due  time  shall  bring  Human  ones  into  contempt.  We 
find  now  that  we  must  not  only  Print  Books  but  Bind 
them  also.  We  cannot  deliver  the  Bible  out  in  an  un- 
bound state,  nor  indeed  anything  else  that  we  may  ever 
Publish. 

Besides  we  have  many  books  amongst  us  ruining  for 
the  want  of  Binding —  This  business  we  intend  to  have 
done  in  our  own  House,  for  wch  you  will  please  to  send 
the  articles  mentioned  in  the  inclosed  Paper.  We  trust 
Brethren,  that  we  have  great  reason  to  Bless  our  GOD 
for  bringing  us  to  Serampoor.  The  attention  that  has 
been  paid  to  us,  seems  to  be  a  token  for  Good,  that  the 
lyORD  will  establish  us,  and  make  us  useful.  We  have 
Public  Preaching  in  English  every  lyord's  Day  morn- 
ing, wch  is  attended  by  the  Governor  and  many  other 
Europeans  in  the  Place.  Brethren  Carey  &  Fotmtain 
preach  also  morning  &  evening  in  the  streets  of 
Serampoor  &  the  adjacent  villages.  Brahmins  have 
been  put  to  shame  while  other  Casts  have  heard  the 
word  with  attention.  Many  come  to  dispute  with  Bror 
Carey.  Some  for  Instruction — others  to  enquire  the 
time  of  worship.  A  Free  school  is  building  for  the  na- 
tives, which  has  given  pleasure  to  most  who  have 
heard  thereof. 

As  a  family  we  live  together  in  peace,  and  increase 
in  L,ove  to  one  another.     The  Eord  has  been  good  to 


4^  SERA  MP  ORE  LETTERS. 

each  of  us  in  preserving  our  Health.  Dear  Sister  Bruns- 
don  gets  stout  &  well.  The  children  are  all  remark- 
ably healthy.  The  small  pox  being  very  prevalent  at 
Calcutta,  we  have  had  them  Innoculated,  and  they 
have  now  recovered  therefrom.  They  had  it  so  lightly 
as  scarce  to  make  them  ill.  In  consequence  of  all  the 
goodness  we  have  experienced,  and  the  pleasing  pros- 
pects before  us,  we  consecrated  yesterday  as  a  day  of 
Thanksgiving,  as  also  to  the  taking  into  the  Church 
the  Brethren  &  Sisters  lately  arrived.  The  business  of 
the  Day  was  conducted  in  the  following  Manner. — 

Met  at  6  oclock  in  the  morning,  when  Bror  Ward 
began  by  reading  the  23rd  and  103rd  Psalms,  after  wch 
he  read  out  a  hymn  and  Prayed.  All  the  Brethren  fol- 
lowed in  the  same  excercises.  This  meeting  lasted  two 
hours — Met  again  at  10/ oclock,  Bror  Fountain  began 
by  reading  ist  Timothy  3rd.  Singing  &  Prayer. 
After  this  the  Dismissions  of  the  Brethren  &  Sisters 
from  their  respective  Churches  were  read  by  Bror  Carey, 
and  the  Right  Hand  of  Fellowship  given  to  each  by 
him  &  Bror  Fountain  as  a  token  of  acceptance. 

Agreed  that  Sister  Brunsdon  (having  left  England 
before  she  had  an  opportunity  of  procuring  her  Dismis- 
sion from  I^airford  Church)  have  Communion  with  us 
at  the  I^ORD's  table  till  her  Dismission  arrives. 

Agreed  that  Bror  Carey  be  the  Pastor  of  this  Church 
&  Brethren  Fountain  and  Marshman  the  two  Deacons. 


SERA  MP  ORE   LETTERS.  49 

Agreed  that  the  Ordinance  of  the  I^ords  Supper  be 
Administered  to  us  the  first  Sabbath  in  every  Kalendar 
Month. — After  this  business  the  Brethren  related  the 
manner  in  which  they  were  brought  to  the  Knowledge 
of  the  Truth. 

Bror  Carey  concluded  in  prayer.  Met  again  at  4/ 
oclock  p.m.  Brother  Marshman  read  the  "Address 
of  the  Committee  of  the  Baptist  Society  "  delivered  May. 
7.  1799. — A  lyCtter  from  Bror  Pearce  of  Birmingham — 
And  an  address  by  Brother  Booth  of  I,ondon. 

May  the  lyORD  impress  their  sentiments  on  our 
Minds.  Bror  Carey  concluded  in  prayer. — During  this 
meeting  the  following  Address  was  voted  to  the  Gov- 
ernor of  the  Settlement. 

"  To  the  Honourable  Colonel  Bi^. 

"Sir. 

"  Having  set  apart  this  day  in  our  family  to  return 
thanks  to  GOD  for  the  establishment  of  our  Missionary 
Settlement  in  this  country,  we  could  not  but  recollect 
the  many  gracious,  and  important  favours  which  we 
have  received  at  your  hands.  We  have  prayed,  and 
shall  not  cease  to  pray  that  our  Heavenly  father  may 
pour  his  most  sacred  Benediction  upon  you,  and  long 
make  you  a  blessing  to  the  World.  We  hope  our  Con- 
duct will  always  show  that  our  Gratitude  is  sincere  and 
that  we  aim  at  being  truly  the  Disciples,  of  him  who 
exhibited  a  perfect  pattern  of  Universal  obedience. 


so  SERAMPORE  LETTERS. 

"Accept,  Sir,  our  fervent,  and  united  Acknowledg- 
ments ;   in  which  we  know  our  Society  in  Kngland 
would  be  very  happy  to  concur. 
We  are,  Sir, 

Your  most  affectionate  & 
obedient  Servants 

Wm.  Care;y 
Wm.  Ward 
John  Fountain 
Dani,.  Brunsdon 
Joshua  Marshman" 

Met  again  at  8  oClock  in  the  evening  for  more  Public 
worship.  Bror  Forsyth,  a  Paedo  Baptist  missionary 
(whom  we  had  previous  invited)  engaged  in  Prayer. 
Brother  Carey  afterwards  preached  an  Animating 
sermon  from  Romans  12.  ver  12th  '*  Rejoicing  in  Hope.'* 

This  morning  the  above  address  was  presented  to 
the  Governor.  He  was  considerably  affected  by  it,  and 
assured  the  Brethren  who  waited  upon  him,  that  it 
gave  him  great  pleasure  to  have  us  in  the  Settlement. 

He  has  again  and  again  declared  that  he  would  do 
every  thing  in  his  power  to  promote  our  Welfare.  We 
hope  the  Society  will  never  forget  in  their  Prayers,  the 
Man  who  shows  so  much  kindness  to  us. 

Were  you  also  to  vote  him  an  Address  of  thanks  it 
would  be  well  received. 

Yesterday's  pleasure  was   considerably  heightened 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS.  $1 

by  the  Arrival  of  English  lyCtters  for  Bretheren  Carey, 
Ward,  &  Briinsdon.  We  did  not  forget  you  in  our 
prayers,  nor  could  we  refrain  from  Blessing  God  for 
your  great  and  constant  care  of  us.  The  Zeal  & 
Generosity  of  our  Scotch  Brethren  is  surely  beyond 
example  !  Pray  let  our  United  Thanks  be  presented  to 
them.  One  circumstance  however  was  a  matter  of  grief 
to  us  vizt.  The  Capture  of  the  Ship  Duff.  We  will  not 
cease  to  pray  for  the  dear  Missionaries  on  Board  her, 
that  the  I^ord  their  God  may  prosper  them  wherever 
they  go.  This  is  our  Joint  prayer — May  the  Kingdom 
of  our  lyORD  come  with  Power. 

We  are  Dear  Brethren 

in  endless  affection 
Yours 

Wm.  Carky 
J.  Fountain 
J.  Marsh  MAN 
W.  Ward 
D.  Brunsdon. 

The  two  letters  here  given,  with  the  preceding  one, 
furnish  a  brief  epitome  of  the  history  of  the  Mission 
up  to  the  time  when  the  correspondence  began  which 
it  is  the  chief  purpose  of  this  little  book  to  set  forth. 
But  before  proceeding  to  introduce  that  correspond- 
ence, it  may  be  well  to  give  a  hasty  sketch  of  the  man 
who  was  largely   instrumental    in  bringing   the  new 


52  SERAMPORE  LETTERS. 

missionary  movement  into  prominence  in  the  Ameri- 
can churches ;  and  to  do  this,  it  is  necessary  to  go 
back  again  to  a  little  Knglish  hamlet  less  known  even 
than  the  quiet  town  of  Olney. 

On  the  somewhat  barren  and  rocky  slopes  of  the 
range  of  hills  whose  loftiest  summit  is  the  peak  of 
Snowdon,  in  North  Wales,  nestles  the  little  village  of 
Y  Garn,  and  near  that  hamlet  lies  the  farm  known  for 
generations  as  Plas  I^lecheiddior.  Exactly  when  the 
old  farm-house  was  built  no  one  seems  to  know,  and 
speculation  is  still  rife  as  to  the  meaning  of  the  name. 
Some  have  suggested  that  it  signifies  the  **  Place  of 
the  Ivied  Rock";  others,  that  it  simply  means 
*' Pleasant  Place"  ;  but  family  tradition  has  it  that 
the  true  meaning  is,  "The  place  where  lor  hid  him- 
self ' '  ;  and  till  recent  years  a  rude  niche  was  pointed 
out  in  the  wall  of  the  stone  farm-house,  where  the 
fabled  lor  was  said  to  have  taken  refuge  in  some  dire 
local  disturbance.  At  this  old  farm-house,  which  had 
for  some  hundred  and  fifty  years  been  in  the  possession 
of  his  forefathers  as  peasant  farmers,  there  was  born 
on  the  8th  of  March,  1767,  John  Williams,  a  sturdy 
Welsh  lad,  but  with  a  lameness  from  birth  which  un- 
fitted him  for  the  agricultural  pursuits  of  his  father 
and  kinsfolk.  It  was  his  father's  desire  that  he  should 
prepare  himself  to  enter  the  ministry  of  the  Estab- 
lished Church  ;  but  not  finding  himself  in  sympathy 
with  that  Church,  he  at  first  determined  to  acquire  a 


SERAMPORE   LETTERS.  53 

trade,  and,  for  that  purpose,  took  up  his  residence  in 
the  not  distant  town  of  Carnarvon.  Having,  however, 
become  converted  at  about  the  age  of  nineteen,  he  de- 
termined to  study  for  the  ministry,  and  a  few  years 
later,  leaving  the  Independent  Church,  with  which  he 
had  first  united,  he  was  immersed,  and  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Horeb  Baptist  Church  at  Garn.  Shortly 
after  this  he  was  called  to  the  pastorate  of  that 
Church,  and  remained  their  pastor  for  some  years. 
But  in  the  summer  of  1795,  he  determined  to  leave 
Wales  and  take  up  his  residence  in  the  United  States, 
a  resolution  which  he  carried  into  effect,  reaching  New 
York  July  25th.  Within  a  fortnight  after  his  arrival, 
his  younger  brother,  who  had  accompanied  him,  sud- 
denly died,  and  Mr.  Williams  himself  was  prostrated 
by  illness.  The  history  of  the  days  that  followed,  and 
of  the  settlement  of  Mr.  Williams  as  pastor  of  the  Fay- 
ette Street  Baptist  Church,  is  best  given  in  the  lan- 
guage of  his  gifted  son  and  successor  in  the  ministry, 
Rev.  William  R.  Williams,  D.D.,  who  was  his  bi- 
ographer. As  the  biography  has,  however,  long  been 
out  of  print,  a  short  extract  from  it  will  not  be  out  of 
place : 

''  He  had  left  his  native  soil,  his  family,  and  his 
friends,  to  find  in  a  foreign  land,  and  among  a  people 
of  strange  language,  a  grave  for  the  companion  of  his 
voyage,  a  beloved  brother.     He  began  to  doubt  if  he 


54  SERAMPORE  LETTERS, 

had  not  rashly  ventured  where  God  had  not  called 
him ;  and  this  consideration  seemed  to  raise  his  feel- 
ings, which  were  naturally  acute,  to  a  pitch  of  intense 
agony.  It  was  but  the  prelude  and  the  promise  of 
after  usefulness ;  it  was  in  a  manner  the  parting  blow 
of  the  adversary — the  struggle  in  and  by  which,  his 
heavenly  Father  was  girding  and  exercising  him  for 
his  appointed  task.  In  his  distress  he  prayed  that  one, 
though  but  one,  soul  might  be  granted  to  him  in 
America  as  the  fruit  of  his  ministry  and  the  proof  of 
his  calling ;  and  when  he  arose  from  the  bed  of  sick- 
ness, he  arose,  if  possible,  more  anxiously  earnest  than 
ever,  in  the  work  of  his  heart.  He  had  intended  to 
have  settled  in  some  neighborhood  inhabited  by  Welsh 
emigrants,  and  in  his  mother  language  to  have  contin- 
ued his  ministerial  labours  ;  and  with  this  view,  his 
attention  had  been  directed  to  Beulah,  in  Pennsylva- 
nia, and  Steuben,  in  New  York.  In  Welsh  he  deliv- 
ered his  first  sermon  in  America.  It  was  preached  in 
the  meeting-house  then  occupied  by  the  Rev.  John 
Stanford,  in  Fair  Street. 

"  The  Baptist  church  in  Oliver  (at  that  time  Fayette) 
Street,  was  then  composed  of  about  thirty  members, 
of  whom,  however,  only  twenty  could  be  found,  who 
met  in  a  small  unfinished  wooden  building,  about 
thirty  feet  square,  without  galleries,  and  seated  with 
benches  instead  of  pews.  This  church  permitted  him 
and  his  countrymen  occasionally  to  use  their  place  of 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS,  55 

worship  for  service  in  their  own  language.  They  also 
encouraged  Mr.  W.  to  attempt  the  acquisition  of  the 
English  language,  a  request  with  which,  after  some 
hesitation,  he  complied,  and  began  to  preach  in  Eng- 
lish for  one  part  of  the  Sabbath,  on  the  other  part  still 
continuing  the  use  of  the  Welsh.  Through  every  dis- 
advantage, the  English  brethren  saw  a  deep  and  fer- 
vent piety,  and  a  native  vigour  of  mind,  which  greatly 
delighted  them.  They  had  made  several  attempts  to 
procure  a  supply,  but  were  unable  to  find  one  in  all 
respects  suitable.  They  now  began  to  fix  their  hopes 
upon  the  young  stranger,  and  at  length,  after  a  trial 
of  nine  months,  Mr.  Williams  became,  on  their  unani- 
mous request,  their  pastor  on  the  28th  of  August,  1798. 
In  the  summer  of  this  year,  the  yellow  fever  com- 
menced one  of  its  most  dreadful  attacks  upon  the  city 
of  New  York.  Mr.  W.,  among  others,  was  early 
seized  with  the  contagion,  and  his  life  was  despaired 
of.  But  the  decisive  conduct  of  his  physician  proved, 
under  God,  the  means  of  his  recovery,  and  he  again 
appeared  with  new  zeal  among  the  people  of  his 
charge.  Encouraged  by  the  attention  which  he  ex- 
cited, in  January  following  the  little  church  substi- 
tuted pews  for  benches.  But  they  grew,  and  the  place 
soon  became  too  strait,  and  in  1800,  the  meeting-house 
was  enlarged  to  sixty  by  forty-three  feet,  and  galleries 
were  added.  In  the  course  of  years  this  place  also 
became  insufficient ;  and   in  little  more  than  twenty 


56  SERAMPORE  LETTERS. 

years  after  his  first  settlement,  Mr.  W.  saw  raised  the 
third  meeting-house,  the  present  edifice,  a  large  stone 
building,  sixty-four  by  ninety-four  feet." 

The  building  referred  to  as  having  been  erected  in 
1800  is  that  shown  in  the  accompanying  sketch,  taken 
from  an  old  print  in  Valentine's  Manual,  the  only 
source  now  available  for  a  view  of  the  old  church.  It 
was  here  that  John  Williams  labored  ;  and  in  his 
ministry  in  the  city  he  came  into  contact  with  many 
other  representatives  of  various  Christian  denomina- 
tions, in  whose  work  he  took  an  interest  second  only 
to  that  he  felt  for  the  work  among  his  own  people. 

The  New  York  Missionary  Society,  an  inter-denomi- 
national Society,  seems  to  have  been  formed  at  least  as 
early  as  1796,  and  from  the  earliest  list  of  its  oflEicers 
now  to  be  found  (those  for  1799),  it  would  appear  that 
Dr.  John  Rodgers  was  President,  and  the  Rev.  John 
M.  Mason,  the  friend  of  Alexander  Hamilton,  was  the 
Secretary.  With  the  work  of  this  Society  Mr.  Williams 
seems  to  have  made  himself  early  familiar,  and  in  the 
report  of  the  Society  at  the  annual  meeting  in  April, 
1 801,  Mr.  Williams'  name  appears  on  the  list  of  Direc- 
tors. To  this  report  there  is  appended  a  letter  signed 
by  William  Carey  and  dated  Serampore,  October  15, 
1800.  It  is,  of  course,  impossible  to  say  at  this  date 
through  what  channel  this  letter  was  forwarded  to  the 
New  York  Missionary  Society  ;  but  it  seems  natural  to 


|,;,»iM 


t     IV'.-,  o^ 


1 '  ^  'ISO    ':eL]S  H   'i      ■ 

mfff 


'7^ 


SERAMPORE   LETTERS.  57 

conjecture  that  it  was  forwarded  along  with  the  letter 
next  placed  before  the  reader  and  addressed  to  John 
Williams  by  Dr.  Carey  in  the  year  1800.  Before 
setting  out  this  letter,  however,  it  may  be  well  to 
allude  to  the  work  which  had  been  done  by  the  New 
York  Missionary  Society.  As  already  stated,  this 
Society  was  inter-denominational,  and  seems  to  have 
directed  most  of  its  attention  to  mission  work  among 
the  North  American  Indians.  This  work  had  been,  it 
would  appear,  largely  carried  on  among  the  Chickasaw 
Indians,  but  it  soon  became  evident  to  the  Directors  of 
the  Association  that  other  work  might  be  done,  and 
how  the  work  came  to  be  done  will,  perhaps,  best  be 
shown  by  a  short  extract  from  the  report  of  the  Direc- 
tors already  referred  to,  in  1801  : 

* '  Their  first  imdertaking  having  been  thus  far  coun- 
tenanced by  the  I^ord  of  the  harvest,  and  their  resources 
being  by  no  means  exhausted,  the  Directors  felt  it  their 
duty  to  turn  their  eyes  to  some  other  quarter  which 
might  invite  a  new  mission.  An  event,  which  they 
cannot  but  account  providential,  pointed  out  the  North- 
western Indians,  especially  the  Tuscarora  and  Seneca 
nations,  as  the  most  proper  objects  of  their  next  at- 
tempt. The  New  York  Baptist  Association,  who  were 
already  known  to  some  Indian  tribes,  wishing  to  carry 
still  farther  among  them  the  light  of  the  knowledge  of 
the  glory  of  God  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ,  but  desti- 


58  SERAMPORE  LETTERS, 

tute  of  the  requisite  means,  recommended  the  Rev. 
Elkanah  Holmes,  one  of  their  number,  as  a  suitable 
Missionary.  In  this  gentleman,  who  had  formerly  ex- 
perience of  similar  service,  the  Directors  found  those 
solid,  evangelical  principles,  that  zeal  for  the  salvation 
of  the  Heathen,  that  natural  sagacit}^  and  disposition 
for  enterprise,  and  that  acquaintance  with  Indian  char- 
acter and  custom,  which  rendered  him  peculiarly  fit 
for  the  contemplated  mission.  They  accordingly  took 
him  into  the  employment  of  the  Society,  and  having 
furnished  him  with  special  instructions,  set  him  apart 
to  his  work  by  solemn  prayer. 

*'  This  Mission  being  designed,  both  by  Mr.  Holmes, 
and  the  Directors,  rather  as  a  Mission  of  experiment, 
than  a  permanent  establishment,  he  was  employed  for 
six  months  ;  but  not  so  limited  by  his  appointment  as 
to  prevent  his  spending  a  longer  time  in  making  ex- 
cursions of  inquiry  among  the  remoter  tribes.  For  his 
compensation,  while  engaged  in  this  labour  of  love,  the 
Directors  have  voted  a  salary  at  the  rate  of  375  dollars 
per  annum,  beside  his  travelling  expenses. 

* '  All  the  accounts  which  have  been  received  from  him 
and  of  him,  are  singularly  gratifying.  The  Brotherton 
and  New-Stockbridge  Indians,  contributed  their  assis- 
tance with  a  promptness  and  fervour  truly  Christian. 
Their  addresses  to  Mr.  Holmes  breathe  a  spirit  which 
ought  to  shame  the  languor,  and  quicken  the  efforts 
of  those  who  have  enjoyed  superior  privileges." 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS,  59 

This  extract  explains  the  allusion  in  the  letters  that 
follow  to  the  Rev.  Blkanah  Holmes  and  his  work  among 
the  Indians  ;  and  it  was  probably  some  allusion  to  the 
work  of  the  New  York  Missionary  Society  which  induced 
Dr.  Carey  to  send  to  Mr.  Williams  with  his  letter  a 
copy  of  the  Gospel  by  Matthew  for  presentation  to  this 
Society.  However  that  may  be,  one  thing  is  certain, 
that  either  in  the  early  part  of  the  year  1800  or,  possi- 
bty,  in  the  closing  months  of  the  preceding  year,  John 
Williams  addressed  a  letter  to  William  Carey  giving 
some  account  of  the  work  of  the  New  York  Missionary 
Society  among  the  North  American  Indians,  and  in- 
vited correspondence  as  to  the  work  that  Dr.  Carey  was 
doing  in  India.  In  reply  to  this  letter  Carey  penned 
the  following  : 

MY  DKAR  BROTHKR. 

The  Honour  you  have  done  me  in  writing  to  me  in 
connection  with  Brethren  Thomas  and  Fountain  in- 
duces me  to  write  to  you. 

I  can  also  assure  you  that  it  is  with  great  pleasure  I 
embrace  the  opportunity  of  corresponding  with  the 
friends  of  our  Lord  Jesus  in  your  distant  part  of  the 
World.  One  of  our  Brethren  viz,  Brother  Fountain, 
was  removed  from  us  to  the  church  above  on  the  20th 
August  last ;  his  affliction  (a  dysentery)  was  very 
painful,  but  his  hope  was  full  of  immortality  and  his 
death  bore  a  testimony  to  the  truth   of  the  Gospel 


6o  SERAMPORE   LETTERS, 

which  was  very  encouraging  to  the  spectators  and 
left  a  sweet  savour  of  the  excellence  of  Gospel 
truth. 

In  the  last  year  our  Number  was  augmented  by  the 
coming  of  four  new  Missionaries  from  England  ;  they 
came  in  the  American  ship  ' '  Criterion  ' '  of  Philadel- 
phia commanded  by  that  excellent  man  Capt.  B.  Wickes 
a  man  whose  name  is  always  spoken  of  with  the  utmost 
respect  by  all  our  Brethren,  and  whose  piety  was  ad- 
mired by  them  all.  You  will  be  informed  from  Eng- 
land I  expect,  before  this  reaches  you,  that  Brother 
Grant  died  very  soon  after  his  arrival ;  the  others,  viz, 
Brethren  Marshman,  Ward  and  Brunsdon  with  myself 
and  our  wives  and  children  form  a  common  Family,  and 
live  in  the  utmost  harmony  ;  we  love  one  another  and 
are  as  the  heart  of  one  man  in  our  Work.  Our  habita- 
tion is  now  at  Serampore,  a  Danish  settlement  about  14 
Miles  from  Calcutta,  at  which  place  we  have  purchased 
a  House  for  the  Mission,  and  enjoy  the  protection  of  that 
Government.  The  situation  which  I  was  in  before,  viz, 
Mudnabutty  was  near  400  Miles  north  of  this  place.  I 
trust  our  going  there  as  it  appeared  absolutely  neces- 
sary at  the  time  we  went  has  not  been  altogether  in 
vain.  We  could  not  have  lived  there  longer,  or  if  we 
had  could  not  have  carried  on  our  operations  with  the 
freedom  we  now  can,  and  it  is  highly  probable  that  we 
should  not  have  been  suffered  to  work  our  printing 
press  in  so  distant  a  part  of  the  company's  dominions, 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS.  6 1 

though  we  should  have  said  nothing  about  politics,  it 
being  our  constant  rule  to  keep  clear  of  that  rock. 

We  have  a  press  and  types  for  the  Bengalee  language 
and  are  printing  the  Bible.  We  began  first  with  the 
New  Testament  and  have  finished  the  four  Gospels  and 
begun  to  compose  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  several 
small  tracts,  poems,  hymns,  etc.  have  also  been  printed 
in  that  language  and  dispersed.  This  part  of  the 
country  is  very  populous  and  as  full  of  idolatry  as  it 
can  hold.  Capt.  Hague  will  inform  you  of  this  from 
what  he  has  seen.  He  was  here,  and  went  out  with 
us  one  evening  when  we  went  out  to  preach  to  the 
heathen.  I  suppose  that  no  people  can  have  more 
completely  surrendered  their  reason  than  the  Hindoos. 
In  all  matters  of  business  and  every  thing  relating  to 
this  world,  they  are  not  deficient  in  knowledge,  but  in 
all  things  relating  to  religion,  they  are  apparently  void 
of  all  understanding.  Their  books  abound  with  the 
most  abominable  stories,  and  the  characters  of  their 
gods  are  drawn  in  colour  so  black  that  even  the  father 
of  wickedness  himself  would  scarcely  own.  The  Hin- 
doos are  not  fond  of  hearing  in  detail  the  vices  of  their 
gods,  yet  so  devoted  are  they  to  their  old  customs,  that 
they  constantly  adore  characters  the  most  detestable. 
It  is  not  to  be  thought  that  the  moral  character  of  a 
people  should  be  better  than  that  of  their  gods.  Men 
made  themselves  idols  after  their  own  hearts,  and  there- 
fore to  look  for  good  morals  among  idolaters  is  the 


62  SERA M PORE  LETTERS. 

height  of  folly.  The  conduct  of  the  Hindoos  but  too 
fully  proves  the  truth  of  this  observation,  for  they 
are  literally  sunk  into  the  dregs  of  vice.  'T  is  true 
they  have  not  the  savage  ferocity  of  American  Indians 
but  this  is  abundantly  supplied  with  a  dreadful  stock 
of  low  cunning  and  deceit.  Moral  rectitude  makes  no 
part  of  their  religious  system,  therefore,  no  wonder 
that  they  are  sunk,  nay  wholly  immersed  in  all  manner 
of  impurity. 

Within  a  few  months  past  the  gospel  of  Matthew 
and  other  small  pieces  have  been  circulated  among 
them,  this  is  the  introduction  of  a  thing,  a  light 
entirely  new,  and  has  evidently  awakened  the  fears 
of  many  of  the  Brahmans.  Public  disputes  with 
them  also  in  the  streets,  and  any  place  where  we 
meet  with  them  and  always  in  the  hearing  of  the 
common  people  have  in  some  measure  excited  them 
to  reflect,  but  at  present  it  has  been  of  no  use  except 
to  make  them  try  to  avoid  disputes  with  us  and  to 
excite  a  laugh  against  them  among  others  who  are  not 
permitted  to  read  for  themselves.  I  have  no  doubt  but 
in  the  end  the  God  of  all  grace  will  exert  His  almighty 
power  and  vindicate  His  authority  and  establish  the 
glory  of  His  own  name  in  this  wretched  country  ;  our 
labors  may  be  only  like  those  of  pioneers  to  prepare  the 
way,  but  truth  will  assuredly  prevail  and  this  among 
the  other  kingdoms  of  the  earth  shall  assuredly  see  the 
salvation  of  our  God.     I  doubt  not  but  a  few  more 


SERA M PORE  LETTERS,  63 

years  will  show  Brahmans  renouncing  their  cast,  be- 
lieving in  Christ  and  throwing  their  idols  to  the  moles 
and  to  the  bats. 

You  can  scarcely  form  an  idea  of  the  pleasure  we  all 
felt  in  receiving  your  letter  and  the  very  pleasing 
accounts  of  what  our  lyord  is  doing  in  your  parts.  We 
hope  you  will  take  every  opportunity  of  dropping  us  a 
letter,  and  shall  endeavor  to  reply  to  your  correspond- 
ence at  all  times  ;  as  to  your  letters  finding  us,  the 
Captain  who  brings  them  has  only  to  do  as  Captain 
Hague  has  done,  send  a  man  on  purpose  or  come  him- 
self or  on  receiving  a  note  any  of  us  would  wait  on 
him. 

I  wrote  the  above  about  two  months  ago,  but  did 
not  close  the  letter  because  I  thought  something  might 
transpire  before  the  sailing  of  Captain  Hague  which  I 
should  be  glad  to  communicate.  The  ship  will  sail  in 
a  few  days,  I  therefore  close  this  by  informing  you  that 
I  have  reason  to  hope  the  Lord  has  been  working 
among  the  Hindoos  ;  one  has  given  himself  to  the 
church,  and  we  hope  to  baptize  him  in  a  very  few  days. 
Four  more,  viz.  two  men  and  two  women  appear  truly 
wrought  upon  and  give  us  hope  that  this  is  the  first 
fruit  of  an  approaching  harvest.  I  hoped  that  Captain 
Hague  might  have  been  a  spectator  of  their  baptism, 
but  he  will  go  before  it  can  take  place.  I,  however, 
hope  to  be  able  to  send  an  account  of  it  to  Dr.  Rogers 
of  Philadelphia,  who  has  favored  us  with  his  corre- 


64  SERAMPORE  LETTERS, 

spondence  and  I  trust  you  will  hear  the  news  from 
him.  The  Philadelphia  ship  will  not  sail  till  a  month 
or  two  later.  Dear  Brother,  what  shall  I  say  more — 
pray  for  us  and  write  to  us  by  every  opportunity,  news 
from  your  distant  part  of  the  world  will  rejoice  our 
hearts,  above  all  inform  us  of  the  success  of  dear  Mr. 
Holmes  and  any  other  missionaries  among  the  heathen. 
Tell  us  the  news  of  your  churches  and  send  any  trifling 
publication.  We  have  received  some  intelligence  from 
America  of  European  concerns  before  we  heard  it  from 
Europe. 

We  have  sent  two  copies  of  the  gospel  by  Matthew 
in  Bengallee  at  the  end  of  which  are  some  other  little 
tracts,  hymns,  etc.,  in  that  language,  which  we  have 
dispersed,  we  beg  your  acceptance  of  one  copy  and  also 
that  you  will  present  the  other  in  our  name  to  The  New 
York  Mission  Society  as  a  token  of  our  sincere  union 
with  them  in  the  great  object  of  their  undertaking. 
I  am,  very  affectionately  yours, 

Wm.  Carey. 
Serampore,  Dec.  ^th,  1800. 

It  can  scarcely  be  necessary  to  add  many  words  of 
comment  upon  this  most  interesting  of  letters.  The 
very  manner  of  its  composition  was  such  as  to  give  it 
an  intrinsic  interest  which  few  other  letters  in  the 
whole  correspondence  could  possess.  Written,  most 
of  it,  before  any  direct  result  was  manifest  of  the  seven 


SERA  MP  ORE  LETTERS,  _  65 

years  of  labor,  it  yet  breathes  no  spirit  of  discontent  or 
of  despair,  but  gives  a  comprehensive  view  of  the 
field  and  treats  of  the  difficulties  to  be  met  and  over- 
come with  a  wise  foresight  as  far  removed  from  hope- 
lessness as  it  is  from  over-sanguine  anticipation.  Then 
comes  a  break  in  the  narration  ;  for  two  months  it  is 
laid  aside,  and  when  the  writer  again  takes  up  his  pen, 
the  Mission  was  no  longer  without  a  convert.  Krishnu 
Pal,  the  first  convert  of  modem  Christian  Missions  in 
India,  is  the  one  referred  to  by  Dr.  Carey  in  the  close 
of  this  letter.  To  the  members  of  the  Christian 
Church  in  England  and  America  he  is,  perhaps,  more 
generally  known  as  the  first  native  Evangelist,  and  the 
author  of  the  familiar  hymn  translated  by  Dr.  Marsh- 
man,  and  beginning  with  the  lines  : 

"  O  thou,  my  soul,  forget  no  more 
The  friend,  who  all  thy  miseries  bore." 

The  correspondence  thus  commenced  was  actively 
carried  on  from  that  time,  the  next  letters  from  Dr. 
Carey  being  dated  respectively  November  11,  1 801,  and 
June  15,  1802. 

MY  DEAR  BROR. 

An  opportunity  now  offers  for  me  to  write  you  a  few 
lines  by  my  much  esteemed  friend  Capt.  Wickes  of 
Philadelphia,  and  tho'  I  have  but  very  little  to  say, 
yet  I  must  say  that  little. 


66  SERAMPORE  LETTERS. 

Since  the  separation  of  Capt.  Hague  from  this 
place  (by  whom  I  wrote  to  you)  we  have  been  visited 
with  the  loss  of  two  Missionaries  hy  Death,  viz  :  Bror 
Brunsdon,  who  died  last  July,  and  Bror  Thomas,  the 
first  Missionary  to  this  country,  who  died  Oct.  13th 
last ;  by  these  and  the  preceding  deaths  of  Brethn 
Grant  and  Fountain,  all  in  little  more  than  two  years, 
we  are  now  reduced  to  three  persons,  who  are  men 
capable  of  action,  and  should  be  much  discouraged 
had  not  our  gracious  I^ord  appeared  for  us  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  revive  our  hearts  and  encourage  us 
amidst  these  scenes  of  Mortality. 

The  God  who  thus  removed  four  of  our  Brethren  in 
two  years,  has  within  the  last  year  given  us  six  from 
among  the  Heathen  who  have  made  an  open  profession 
of  his  Name  by  Baptism,  and  are  now  members  of  our 
Church,  and  also  two  others,  one  my  eldest  son,  the 
other  a  gentleman  bom  in  China.  These  are  added  to 
our  Church,  besides  whom  we  hope  for  some  who  are 
not  joined  to  us*  .  .  .  gone  to  our  lyord  above,  a 
woman  who  appears  to  have  been  savingly  converted 
under  a  very  heavy  affliction  of  which  she  died,  since 
that  her  husband  has  also  been  apprehended  by  Christ 
and  gives  us  great  pleasure.  My  second  son  and  an- 
other young  man  also  afford  us  very  lively  hopes,  so 
that  we  glory  in  the  midst  of  our  afflictions. 

The  I/)rd  has  also  provided  in  other  things  beyond 

*  Part  of  the  letter  torn  away. 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS,  6/ 

our  utmost  expectations,  so  that  we  are  supplied 
with  all  things  necessary  for  this  Life ;  besides  our 
school  which  has  exceeded  our  hopes,  providence 
has  opened  a  way  which  was  least  expected  of  any- 
thing in  the  world.  I  was  without  any  idea  of 
such  a  thing  ever  taking  place  when  I  was  chosen 
professor  of  the  Bengalee  and  Sangskrit  Languages 
in  the  College  of  Fort  William ;  a  circumstance  of 
which  I  had  no  expectation  till  I  was  applied  to  by 
the  Provost  to  know  if  I  would  accept  it,  and  which 
with  the  advice  of  my  brethren  I  did.  I  trust  that  I 
am  not  put  into  this  situation  without  some  especial 
end  to  be  accomplished  thereby.  One  benefit  I  already 
see,  viz  :  a  door  opening  for  me  to  visit  some  of  the 
native  Portuguese  who  are  Roman  Catholics,  but  when 
afflicted  I  have  found  access  to  some  of  them,  and 
hope  the  introduction  may  contribute  to  the  eternal 
salvation  of  some  of  them,  for  they  are  indeed  a  peo- 
ple sitting  in  darkness  and  the  Shadow  of  Death,  as 
ignorant  or  perhaps  more  so  than  the  Heathen,  and 
universally  despised  by  people  of  all  ranks  and 
descriptions. 

I  long  to  hear  from  you  how  do  you  do  ?  How  does 
the  Work  of  God  go  on  with  you  ?  I  am  glad  to  find 
that  there  are  many  revivals  still  in  difierent  parts  of 
your  highl}"  favoured  land.  If  Capt.  Hague  is  in  your 
neighborhood,  give  my  love  to  him,  and  inform  him  of 
our  circumstances  ;  he  will  feel  somewhat  interested 


68  SERAMPORE  LETTERS, 

therein.  Tell  him  when  he  comes  to  India  again  not 
to  forget  his  promise  to  me  to  furnish  the  Garden  of 
the  Mission  House  with  some  American  Productions. 

Farewell,  my  dear  Bror.  Pray  for  us  that  we  may 
be  faithful  to  the  end  and  that  the  word  of  the  I^ord  in 
our  hands  may  be  quick,  and  powerful,  sharper  than  a 
two  edged  sword,  so  that  its  glorious  effects  may  be 
seen  in  the  destruction  of  Sin  and  Superstition  and  in 
the  erection  of  the  Kingdom  of  our  glorious  Redeemer 
in  this  I^and  of  Darkness  and  the  Shadow  of  Death. 
My  love  to  all  who  love  the  I^ord  Jesus  Christ  in  sin- 
cerity, I  am 

Very  affecty  Yours, 

Wm.  Carby. 

CoivivEGK  OF  Fort  Wii<i.iam, 
Nov.  II,  1801. 


Dkar  Brothe^r  : — 

I  was  very  agreeably  surprised  by  the  arrival  of 
Captain  Hague,  and  by  the  favor  which  he  brought  us 
from  yourself  and  other  friends  at  New  York.  Be 
assured  that  I  and  my  colleagues  very  highly  esteem 
your  correspondence. 

Blessed  be  the  God  and  Father  of  our  I^ord  Jesus 
Christ,  for  the  abundant  mercy  afforded  by  him  to  the 
inhabitants  of  America.  Two  thousand  baptized  in  less 
than  a  year  !  I  am  astonished,  I  am  filled  with  hope 
and  joy,  my  heart  is  enlarged,  and  I  expect  that  very 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS,  69 

soon  the  kingdoms  of  this  world  will  become  the  king- 
doms of  our  lyord  and  of  his  Christ ;  and  may  it  soon 
be  accomplished. 

The  prospect  around  us  is  very  different.  We  are  on 
every  side  surrounded  with  heathens  and  Mahomme- 
dans,  who  are  deaf  to  the  voice  of  reason,  of  Scripture, 
and  of  God.  This  very  day  many  thousands  of  people, 
I  suppose  near  a  million,  have  met  for  the  mean  pur- 
pose of  washing  a  piece  of  wood  ;  or,  in  other  words,  for 
the  purpose  of  bathing  a  wooden  idol,  near  Serampore, 
whose  name  is  Juggernaut,  which  signifies  "  The  Lord 
of  the  World."  Perhaps  such  a  congregation  never 
met  together  to  hear  a  gospel  sermon  since  the  world 
began.  This  very  idolatry,  however,  is  probably  sub- 
servient to  the  spread  of  the  gospel,  for  several  who 
came  from  a  great  distance  and  have  only  heard  of  us, 
have  come  to  beg  a  New  Testament  or  some  small 
pamphlet,  which  we  of  course,  are  glad  to  give. 

When  we  look  around  upon  the  multitudes  who  care 
nothing  about  God,  who  are  given  up  to  every  vice, 
and  to  every  lust,  we  are  filled  with  distress,  and  some- 
times yield  for  a  season  to  discouragement  ;  and  in- 
deed it  is  a  melancholy  reflection  when  we  meet 
thousands  of  people  on  the  Road,  to  think  that  there  is 
not  among  them  a  single  person  concerning  whom  we 
can  reasonably  entertain  the  smallest  Hope  that  he  is 
acquainted  with  the  Grace  of  God  in  truth  :  But  when 
we  look  on  the  other  side,  we  are  constrained  to  say ; 


70  SERA M PORE  LETTERS. 

"  What  hath  God  Wrought  ?  "  Eighteen  months  ago  we 
should  have  been  in  raptures  to  have  seen  an  Hindoo 
eat  at  our  Table ;  now  eating  with  us,  is  become  so 
common,  that  it  is  difficult  to  find  room  sometimes  for 
those  who  come.  Nine  Hindoos  have  been  baptized, 
of  whom  seven  walk  so  as  to  be  an  honor  to  the  Gos- 
pel ;  and  we  expect  to  baptize  an  Hindoo  and  a  Mus- 
sulman more  before  Capt.  Hague  leaves  this  place, 
besides  these  four  or  five  others  are  desiring  to  join  our 
Church,  concerning  whom  we  wish  for  a  little  more 
satisfaction.  They,  however,  appear  to  be  seriously 
enquiring  ;  and  I  doubt  not,  but  they  will  be  brought 
forward  in  a  little  time.  Some  who  have  come  and 
rejected  cast  have  returned  again  to  their  own  rela- 
tions ;  and  others  have  come  several  days  Journey  to 
hear  the  word  of  God.  Indeed,  I  have  reason  to  be- 
lieve, that  a  great  work  of  God  has  been  wrought 
among  us  ;  and  trust  it  will  continue,  and  greatly  in- 
crease. Some  among  the  Portuguese  and  Mussulman 
are  also  enquiring,  what  they  must  do  to  be  saved  f 

Deism  is  very  prevalent  among  Europeans  here,  yet 
I  have  the  greatest  reason  to  believe  that  God  is  carry- 
ing on  a  Work  among  them.  We  have  two  Evangelical 
Clergymen  of  the  Church  of  England  ;  and  I  am  much 
mistaken  if  I  have  not  perceived  a  more  than  ordinary 
unction  attending  their  Preaching  lately.  Several  per- 
sons of  great  abilities  have  been  brought  decidedly  to 
trust  in  Christ;  and  to  appear  on  his  side. 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS,  7 1 

Both  myself  and  brethren  are  much  delighted  with 
the  New  York  Mission  Society.  May  the  God  of 
Abraham  bless  their  efforts  abundantly.  If  you  see 
dear  Brother  Holmes  or  his  colleagues  give  our  very 
cordial  love  to  them,  and  through  them  to  the  believing 
Indians.  We  shall  be  much  gratified  with  anything 
curious  relating  to  any  of  them,  or  indeed  with  only 
knowing  their  names.  The  name  of  the  person  who 
was  our  first-fruits  unto  Christ  is  Krishna,  who  has 
seen  three  others  of  his  family  received  into  the  church, 
his  wife,  his  daughter,  and  his  wife's  sister. 

I  must  conclude,  and  indeed  feel  that  I  have  tired 
you  with  this  long  detail.  I  thank  you  for  the  circular 
letter  of  the  different  associations.  Do  continue  to 
send  them,  as  they  afford  us  much  pleasure,  and  a 
knowledge  of  the  state  of  the  churches  gives  us  a  pe- 
culiar interest  in  them,  and  excites  us  to  pray  for  them. 
Dear  brother,  pray  for  us,  and  especially  for  your  very 
unworthy  but 

Affectionate  brother  in  Christ, 

WlIvLIAM  Carky. 
Cai^cutta,  June  15,  1802. 

This  last  letter  of  Dr.  Carey's  comes  with  a  strange 
force  to  those  who  read  it  after  the  lapse  of  so  many 
years  and  with  the  knowledge  of  the  events  which  have 
taken  place  since  its  writing.  He  who  should,  to-daj^ 
attempt  to  write  the    history  of  Christian  missions, 


72  SERAMPORE   LETTERS. 

would  scarcely  think  of  looking  to  North  America  as 
the  portion  of  the  world  in  which  to  find  a  great  in- 
gathering of  the  church  ;  rather  would  he  go  to  those 
barren  fields  of  which  Carey  writes,  and  the  very  terri- 
tory known  to  our  fathers  as  the  ' '  Lone  Star  Mission' ' 
where,  year  after  year,  the  word  had  been  preached 
and  the  seed  sown,  but  the  laborer  had  seen  no  whiten- 
ing harvest.  Among  the  Telegus  at  Ongole  and  Nel- 
lore  he  would  find  ingatherings  greater  in  one  day  than 
those  over  which  Carey  rejoiced  as  the  result  of  a  year's 
labor  ;  and  yet  as  we  read  the  letter  we  may  almost 
catch  the  echo  of  a  yet  earlier  account  of  a  more  ancient 
mission  : 

* '  Then  tidings  of  these  things  came  unto  the  ears  of 
"  the  church  which  was  in  Jerusalem,  and  they  sent 
*'  forth  Barnabas  that  he  should  go  as  far  as  Antioch, 
* '  who,  when  he  came,  and  had  seen  the  grace  of  God, 
**  was  glad,  and  exhorted  them  all,  that  with  purpose 
*'  of  heart  they  would  cleave  unto  the  Lord,  for  he  was 
"  a  good  man  and  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  of 
*'  faith." 

They  tell  us  that  the  days  of  inspiration  are  over,  and 
that  with  the  passing  from  earth  of  the  last  of  the 
apostolic  band  there  passed  also  the  last  lingering  rays 
of  that  light  else  never  seen  on  land  or  on  sea,  but,  to 
some  at  least,  it  seems  as  if  the  Spirit  which  animated 
and  energized  the  church  at  Jerusalem  was  the  same 
ever-present  and  ever-potent  Spirit  which  guided  the 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS.  73 

councils  and  blessed  the  labors  of  the  churches  in  Eng- 
land and  America  and  far  India  in  the  days  of  Carey 
and  his  associates,  and  will  in  our  day  work  the  like 
results  in  the  hearts  and  lives  of  men  of  like  faith  and 
like  courage.  The  ingatherings  in  America,  whose 
Pentecostal  fervor  and  extent  kindled  the  heart  of  Wil- 
liam Carey  in  1802,  are  the  work  of  the  same  Spirit 
which  in  later  years  has  gathered  thousands  into  the 
churches  at  Ongole  and  Banza  Manteke,  and  the  inter- 
change between  home  and  foreign  missions  is,  after  all, 
but  the  refluent  tide  of  a  mighty  ocean  over  which 
broods  that  divine  Spirit,  which  at  the  creation  moved 
upon  the  face  of  the  waters,  till  from  the  darkness  there 
came  the  light. 

News  did  not  travel  as  fast  in  the  opening  years  of 
the  century  as  it  has  done  since  the  days  of  the  sub- 
marine cable  ;  and  it  was  not  until  1802  that  the  Eng- 
lish brethren  seemed  to  have  learned  of  the  correspond- 
ence between  Mr.  Williams,  representing  the  New 
York  Missionary  Society,  and  Dr.  Carey ;  but  in  that 
year  the  following  letter  was  sent  and  received  : 

May  Stti,  1802. 

Dear  Sir: — 

We  see  by  the  Magazines  you  have  had  some  cor- 
respondence with  our  dr  Bror  Carey  at  Serampore.  A 
young  man  who  is  going  with  his  wife  to  join  them  is 
obliged  to  go  to  New  York  to  get  passage.     We  recom- 


74 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS, 


mend  him  to  your  cordial  friendship,  as  one  whom  we 
think  to  be  a  partaker  of  the  right  missionary  spirit. 
Receive  them,  therefore,  accordingly,  my  dear  Bror, 
and  if  they  want  any  assistance  in  a  pecuniary  way, 
you  may  be  assured  that  Bror  Chamberlaine's  drafts 
will  be  punctually  paid  by  the  Treasurer  of  the  Society 
in  England. 

They  can  tell  you  many  particulars  of  the  last  news 
from  ye  East  Indies,   as  well  as  what   concerns  our- 
selves.    I  must  only  subscribe  myself  in  haste, 
Your  cordial  Bror, 

John  Ryi^and. 

To  explain  the  allusion  to  Mr.  Chamberlain,  it  is 
necessary  to  travel  back  again  to  Olney  and  to  the  Bap- 
tist Church  of  which  John  SutclifiF  was  pastor  there. 
Mr.  Sutcliff  was  not  satisfied  with  confining  his  labors 
simply  to  his  pastoral  ofiice,  but  at  his  house  (first  that 
of  which  the  kindness  of  Mr.  Wright  has  furnished  a 
view  and  later  a  larger  edifice  on  the  main  street  of 
Olney),  he  had  been  in  the  habit  of  training  young 
men  for  the  Christian  ministry,  and  after  the  formation 
of  the  Missionary  Society,  he  trained  not  a  few  for  the 
Mission  field.  Among  the  students  thus  trained  by 
him  was  John  Chamberlain,  formerly  a  farm-laborer  of 
Braunston,  who  had  married  Hannah  Smith,  a  member 
of  Mr.  Sutcliff' s  church  ;  and  this  is  the  ''  Bror  Cham- 
berlaine  "    alluded  to   in  John  Ry land's  letter.     The 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS.  75 

East  India  Company,  not  satisfied  with  having  banished 
the  missionaries  from  British  territory  in  India,  suc- 
ceeded, by  their  influence,  in  throwing  so  many  difficul- 
ties in  the  way  of  the  embarkation  of  new  missionaries 
on  British  ships  sailing  direct  for  India,  that  it  soon 
became  expedient  for  the  missionaries  to  make  their 
way  first  to  the  shores  of  America,  and  from  thence  to 
take  vessels  to  India  ;  and  thus  it  happened  that  John 
Chamberlain  and  his  wife,  instead  of  sailing  from  an 
English  port  to  India  direct,  came  first  to  New  York, 
intending  to  sail  thence  for  India  ;  but  it  would  appear 
the  city  on  the  Schuylkill  was  in  those  early  days  a 
more  desirable  shipping  point  than  Manhattan  Island, 
and  both  for  the  sake  of  the  continuity  of  the  narrative 
and  as  illustrating  the  minor  difficulties  that  lay  in  the 
way  of  missionary  activity  in  those  days,  the  following 
letters  are  inserted  : 

Phii^a.,  July  16,  1802. 
Dkar  Sir  : 

Yours  of  the  14th  Inst,  respectg  Mr.  Chamberlaine 
came  to  hand  yesterday.  In  the  evening,  I  had  a  visit 
from  good  Capt.  Wickes,  who  informed  me  that  he  had 
no  thoughts  of  going  to  India  himself,  but  that  a  ves- 
sel, a  Capt.  Davy,  would  sail  from  this  port  for  Calcutta, 
the  beginning  of  next  month.  One  of  the  owners  con- 
cerned is  Mr.  Robert  Ralston,  a  very  religious  man — 
the  Capt.  and  ship's  company  will  probably  be  as  is  usual 


76  SERAMPORE  LETTERS, 

— this  Mr.  Chamberlaine  must  expect.  A  worthy 
young  man,  a  neighbour  of  mine,  Dr.  Robt.  Davidson, 
is  to  go  as  Doctor  and  Surgeon  of  the  Ship — by  whom 
Doctor  Staughton  and  myself  propose  writing  to  Messrs. 
Carey,  &c.  as  the  vessel  is  bound  directly  for  Calcutta. 

Capt.  Wickes  reed,  some  time  ago  a  few  lines  from 
Dr.  Fuller  mentioning  Mr.  Chamberlaine,  and  means 
to  interest  himself  this  Day  with  Mr.  Ralston,  the 
Captain,  &c.  on  his  and  Mrs.  Chamberlaine' s  behalf — 
and  will  either  this  evening  or  tomorrow  inform  me 
more  particularly,  when  I  shall  again  address  you  and 
let  you  know  the  result.    The  business  is  in  good  hands. 

At  present  we  are  under  some  apprehensions  of  the 
yellow  fever.  It  was  brought  to  our  City,  the  northern 
part  of  it,  by  the  St.  Domingo  Packet.  I  hope  God 
will  be  better  to  us  than  our  fears  and  deserts.  Should 
it  prevail,  I  propose  taking  my  family  out  of  town, 
probably  to  Burlington,  as  Mrs.  Rogers  draws  near  the 
time  of  child-bed  confinement.  Should  the  fever  pre- 
vail, of  which  you  will  be  seasonably  apprised,  Capt. 
Wickes  says  that  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chamberlaine  need  not 
enter  the  City,  but  take  shipping  at  Chester,  Marcus 
Hook,  or  New  Castle,  as  the  case  may  be.  In  all  which 
country  we  have  several  Baptist  friends,  probably  Mr. 
Chamberlaine  may  make  it  convenient  to  journey  via 
Burlington.  I  am  well  assured  that  Dr.  Staughton 
will  be  glad  to  see  him,  and  I  know,  if  I  am  fixed  there, 
I  shall. 


SERAMPORE   LETTERS,  *JJ 

Rev.  Mr.  Milledoler,  for  whom  I  preached  last 
I/)rd's  Day  and  of  whose  church  Capt.  Wickes  is  a 
member,  is  now  in  N.  York  on  a  visit.  As  he  corre- 
sponds with  one  of  our  Missionaries  at  Serampoor,  I  am 
not  sure  which  of  them,  I  should  like  that  he  was 
introduced  to  Mr.  Chamberlaine.  Mr.  Milledoler  is  an 
Evangelical  Preacher.  Religion  appears  to  be  on  the 
revival  among  us  and  all  around  us.  Oh,  for  greater 
effusions  of  God's  Holy  Spirit. 

Very  affectionately  yours  in  a  dear  Redeemer, 

Wm.  Rogers. 


PhiIvA.,  July  17,  1802. 
Dkar  Sir  : 

I  wrote  you  yesterday  morning  by  Post  on  the  sub- 
ject of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chamberlaine' s  passage  to  Cal- 
cutta. At  noon  good  Capt.  Wickes  called  on  me 
again,  having  seen  Mr.  Ralston,  Capt.  Davy  &c. 
They  have  agreed  to  take  them  on  the  following  terms, 
viz  ;  as  the  cabin  will  be  occupied  by  the  officers  of 
the  ship  for  sleeping, — the  owners  will  cause  a  private 
room  to  correspond  with  the  cabin  by  a  door  from 
the  steerage  to  be  fitted  up  for  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cham- 
berlaine as  a  lodging  room  and  place  of  retirement, 
solely  for  their  use ;  they  are  to  eat  in  the 
cabin  with  the  officers  of  the  ship  and  to  have 
free    ingress    and    egress    out    of    it    whenever   they 


y2>  SERAMPORE  LETTERS, 

choose,  the  only  exception  being  that  of  lodging. 
The  passage  money  must  be  paid  before  they  sail, 
400  dolls,  each,  and  their  names  to  be  immediately 
forwarded  to  Mr.  Ralston,  that  is,  provided  they  go  with 
Capt.  Davy,  in  order  that  they  may  be  entered  on  the 
Role  De  Equipage. 

You  had  better  after  this  address  Mr.  Ralston  alto- 
gether on  the  subject,  as  I  shall  probably  be  out  of 
Town,  and  Mr.  Ralston  having  affectionately  consented 
to  it.     Direct  your  letter  thus, 

Robert  Ralston,  Esq., 
Merch't., 
Philad'a. 

I  am  credibly  informed  that  Capt.  Davy  is  a  moral 
and  agreeable  young  man.  Our  neighbor,  Dr.  David- 
son, is  generally  esteemed  so ;  however,  should  any- 
thing occur  on  the  passage  of  an  unpleasant  nattue 
there  will  be  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chamberlaine's  own  room. 

Don't  you  think,  if  they  conclude  upon  going  with 
Capt.  Davy,  that  they  had  better  come  on  as  soon  as 
convenient,  at  least  as  far  as  Burlington  ;  by  stopping 
there,  they  will  learn  the  State  of  Phila.  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Staughton  will  be  glad  to  see  them,  and  should  the 
fever  prevent  their  visiting  Phila.  I  can  recommend 
them  to  some  of  our  Religious  friends  at  Marcus  Hook 
or  Wilmington. 

I  have  taken  rooms  in  Dr.  Staughton' s  newly  pur- 
chased house  in  Burlington,  where  I  propose  moving 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS.  79 

my  family  in  the  course  of  a  week  or  10  days  ;  whenever 
ill  the  course  of  providence  I  may  meet  with  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  C.  I  will  render  them  every  assistance  in  my  power. 
The  ship  is  to  sail  the  very  beginning  of  next  month. 
Capt.  Wickes  informs  me  that  the  passage  from  Lon- 
don to  Calcutta  is  100  guineas,  so  that  something  very 
considerable  will  be  saved  in  going  from  Phila. 
Very  affectionately  yours, 

Wm.  Rogers. 

The  following  letters  from  John  Chamberlain  and  Dr. 
Carey  record  the  events  of  the  voyage  and  disembark- 
ation, both  being  dated  March  2,  1803.  After  a 
somewhat  detailed  account  of  the  voyage  which  would 
scarcely  interest  the  reader,  Mr.  Chamberlain  continues : 

We  had  to  beat  up  the  Bay  of  Bengal  against  the 
Monsoon,  which  was  rather  tedious,  but  on  the  whole 
was  in  this  respect  very  much  favored.  On  the  20th 
of  Janry.  we  took  a  Pilot  on  board  and  on  the  22nd  we 
saw  the  land,  and  going  up  the  river  we  ran  aground 
and  were  in  a  very  impleasant  situation  for  three  tides, 
the  ship  laying  on  her  beam  ends.  We  started  all  our 
water  and  on  the  26th  early  in  the  morning  we  were 
afloat  again  without  any  damage.  About  10  o'clock 
we  had  the  joy  to  see  Bro.  Ward  who  had  been  in- 
formed of  our  arrival  by  a  letter  I  wrote  and  sent  by 
post  and  came  down  to  meet  us.  About  10  miles  below 
Calcutta  we  left  the  ship  and  accompanied  Bro.  Ward 
in  his  boat.     Bro.  Carey  met  us  at  the  water's  side,  and 


8o  SERAMPORE  LETTERS. 

took  US  to  his  apartments  in  the  college  where  we  were 
refreshed.  The  next  morning  we  reached  Serampore  and 
were  received  by  Bro.  Marshman  and  the  sisters  with 
christian  salutations.  Brought  to  the  conclusion  of  our 
voyage  we  thanked  God  and  rejoiced  in  his  goodness. 
We  rejoiced  to  find  the  work  of  the  lyord  prospers 
beyond  our  expectations.  Two  Hindoos,  one  a  Brah- 
man, and  the  other  a  Byragge  were  baptised  a  few  days 
before  our  arrival,  the  other  was  baptised  last  Sabbath 
day  week.  Sixteen  Hindoos  have  been  baptised  of 
which  number  14  are  chtirch  members.  Of  the  other 
two,  one  is  dead,  and  one  is  suspended.  Our  church 
consists  of  27  members.  Jehovah  hath  done  great 
things,  whereof  we  are  glad.  I,ast  Sabbath  day  even- 
ing a  Hindoo  bror.  spoke  in  the  name  of  the  I^ord 
Jesus  much  to  the  satisfaction  and  astonishment  of  the 
Brethren.  I  did  not  understand  him,  but  it  gave  me 
pleasure  to  see  the  desirable  sight.  This  is  the  first 
time  that  a  Hindoo  has  preached  in  such  a  public  and 
regular  manner.  His  discourse  was  nearly  an  hour 
long.  His  name  is  Petumber  Shinge,  an  old  man,  of 
a  very  venerable  appearance.  God  hath  done  great 
things  in  him,  and  it  is  our  prayer  and  our  hope  that 
he  will  also  do  great  things  by  him.  We  have  assisted 
him  in  building  a  house  at  a  place  called  Sook  Saugor 
about  30  miles  above  us,  where  he  has  gone  to  live  and 
to  preach  the  words  of  life.  God  be  with  him.  Our 
Bror.  Krishna  will,  we  hope,  be  very  useful  in  the  work 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS.  8 1 

of  the  Lord.  His  is  truly  a  christian  family.  It  may 
be  said  that  he  has  a  church  in  his  house.  All  inquirers 
go  to  his  house  where  they  are  entertained  and  in- 
structed in  the  way  of  salvation.  Our  Bror.  Krishna 
Persad,  a  young  Brahman,  gives  us  great  hopes.  May 
God  raise  up  preachers  from  among  the  natives  to 
carry  on  his  work. 

In  Bengallee  I  as  yet  make  very  little  progress. 
Being  much  engaged  in  the  school  I  cannot  attend  to 
it  so  much  as  I  otherwise  should.  If  God  preserves 
my  life  all  that  is  very  difficult  will  be  soon  overcome. 
I  much  like  the  Bengallee  singing. 

Now  my  dear  brother  farewell.  Probably  I  may 
write  to  you  again  soon.  May  God  bless  you  and 
yours.  May  the  church  prosper  over  which  God  hath 
made  you  an  overseer.  May  you  see  it  flourish.  May 
the  glory  of  the  Lord  be  seen  upon  you  and  upon  all 
the  societies  of  the  faithful  in  Christ  Jesus  in  N.  Y.  and 
in  all  the  U.  S.  Please  to  present  my  christian  love  to 
Doctor  Rodgers,  Messrs.  Miller,  Obeel,  &c.,  &c.  My 
dear  partner  unites  in  love  to  sister  W.,  and  hoping 
that  God  has  helped  her  safely  through  and  given  you 
to  rejoice  in  his  goodness.  Write  to  us  often.  Tell 
us  largely  of  your  welfare.  Pray  for  us. 
We  rest, 

Most  affect' ly  yours, 

J.  &  M.  Chambkrlain. 

Serampork,  March  loth,  1803. 
6 


82  SERAMPORE   LETTERS. 

My  D:eAR  Bror. 

I  received  your  kind  favour  by  the  arrival  of  our 
dear  Bror.  Chamberlaine,  who  with  his  wife  arrived 
here  in  good  health  to  the  great  joy  of  us  all.  I  trust 
that  we  shall  find  them  to  be  real  blessings  to  the  Mis- 
sion. The  kind  treatment  which  they  received  in 
America  calls  for  our  unfeigned  gratitude.  I  trust  that 
you  are  often  remembered  in  our  addresses  to  the  throne 
of  Grace. 

Divine  mercy  is  making  large  conquests  in  your 
favoured  land,  and  I  doubt  not  but  you  are  all  encour- 
aged to  labor  with  double  ardor  in  the  great  work.  I 
doubt  not  but  many  will  speak  evil  of  it,  and  perhaps 
there  may  be  mixtures  of  human  passions,  and  sympa- 
thies. Yet  I  most  sincerely  wish  that  such  a  work 
was  taking  place  in  India,  and  that  we  could  see  Brah- 
mans,  Mussulmans  and  Deists  falling  before  the  word 
of  God. 

I  find  that  either  success  or  want  of  it  may  prove  a 
snare.  For  the  first  seven  years  of  my  being  in  this 
country  my  mind  was  often  almost  dried  up  by  dis- 
couragement and  want  of  success.  I  then  felt  spiritless, 
and  went  to  the  work  like  a  soldier  who  only  expects 
to  be  defeated.  Since  that  more  success  has  attended 
the  work,  and  divine  favour  has  compassed  us  about 
on  every  hand,  yet  I  have  remained  in  a  most  sinful, 
unmoved,  dispirited  and  ungrateful.  I  have  all  along 
looked  too  much  to  myself  instead  of  having  my  ex- 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS.  83 

pectations  wholly  fixed  on  the  L^rd.  I  now  see  and 
lament  my  sin,  but  my  soul  is  as  it  were  confined  to  a 
prison  and  I  find  it  impossible  to  feel,  to  hope,  and  to 
rejoice  like  others  of  the  children,  and  ministers  of  the 
L^rd.  I  trust  you  will  pray  to  God  in  my  behalf  that 
I  may  be  strengthened  with  strength  in  my  soul,  and 
that  I  may  go  in  the  strength  of  the  I^ord  and  make 
mention  of  his  righteousness,  of  his  only. 

A  most  glorious  work  of  Grace  has  been  lately  car- 
ried on  near  Cape  Comorin  in  the  Peninsula  of  India, 
2700  have  been  baptised  by  the  native  ministers,  be- 
sides about  1000  by  Mr.  Gericke,  a  pious  missionary 
there,  and  all  in  the  space  of  a  few  months.  At  pres- 
ent Bengal  is  a  vast  Wilderness,  full  of  every  thing 
hurtful,  and  discouraging,  tho'  not  entirely  without 
appearances  of  the  Lord's  gracious  power.  We  have 
baptised  16  Natives,  oneof  whom  was  afterwards  mur- 
dered (I  suppose  by  thieves).  The  word  has  had  a 
wide  circulation,  and  I  think  that  the  number  of  en- 
quirers increases.  We  have  people  come  to  us  firom  a 
great  distance  to  hear  about  the  way  of  Life,  and  [re- 
ceived] one  on  whom  the  Lord  appears  to  have  fastened 
convictions  which  we  trust  will  end  well.  One  man 
was  baptised  last  Lord's  Day  and  two  a  few  weeks  ago. 

My  many  avocations  oblige  me  to  write  short  letters, 
and  I  am  generally  obliged  to  infringe  on  the  hours 
of  sleep  to  reply  to  the  kind  letters  of  my  friends.  I 
hope  however  that  my  shortness  will  not  discourage 


84  SERAMPORE  LETTERS. 

you  from  writing,  or  from  writing  long  letters.  I  es- 
teem the  receipt  of  letters  from  my  friends,  as  one  of 
the  greatest  privileges  with  which  I  am  favoured  by 
the  lyord.  Send  all  the  accounts  of  the  work  of  God 
that  you  can.  This  is  an  incumbent  duty,  being  the 
way  by  which  you  may  strengthen  the  brethren.  I/3ve 
to  all  your  friends. 

I  am 
Very  affecty., 
Yours 

Wm.  Carejy. 
CaIvCUTTa,  2  March,  1803. 

A  correspondence  having  been  now  commenced  with 
members  of  the  Knglish  Society,  the  exchange  of 
letters  and  news  would  seem  to  have  become  more 
frequent,  and  the  following  letter  from  Dr.  Ryland  is 
interesting  as  showing  the  difficulties  attending  trans- 
port in  the  days  of  which  we  write.  The  ''John 
Cauldwell ' '  referred  to,  if  unknown  to  good  Dr.  Ry- 
land, is  abundantly  familiar  to  the  Baptists  of  America, 
and  we  shall  meet  with  him  again  in  the  history  of  this 
movement. 

Dear  Sir  : 

We  have  lately  heard  better  news  than  ever  from 
our  dear  brethren  in  Bengal,  with  whom  I  find  you 
have  been  so  kind  as  to  correspond.  It  is  a  sad 
disappointment,  however,  that  no  copies  of  the  N. 
Testamt.  or  even  of  so  much  as  of  the  book  of  Matthw. 


SERAMPORE   LETTERS.  85 

have  yet  arrived  in  England,  except  one  sent  by  a  pri- 
vate hand  to  Mr.  Morris,  which  he  sent  to  Edinburgh 
and  I  have  one  copy  of  a  N.  T.  and  two  copies  of 
Matth.  given  me  by  a  gentleman  who  had  bro't  them 
from  Inda  for  himself.  100  copies  of  the  N.  Testa- 
ment were  sent  to  a  ship  and  receipts  obtained  of  their 
lading,  but  the  ship  being  too  full  they  were  returned 
and  buried  undr.  loads  of  goods  at  Calcutta  for  10 
months,  then  they  were  sent  by  way  of  America  by 
Captn.  Hague,  but  where  Captn.  Hague  resides  in 
America  we  have  never  been  told,  nor  have  we  yet 
heard  of  the  books.  I  rec'd.  a  letter  lately  from  Bror. 
Carey,  sent  by  America  and  so  to  Waterford  in  Ire- 
land, on  the  outside  of  which  was  the  followg.  inscrip- 
tion. "New  York  Deer.  25,  A  packet  is  this  day 
forwarded  to  you  via  I^ondn  Your  most  obt.  servt. 
John  Cauldwell."  But  no  mention  was  made  of  the 
name  of  the  ship  by  which  it  was  forwarded,  nor  have 
I  ever  heard  of  the  parcel.  These  are  very  sad  disap- 
pointments indeed.  All  this  is  of  little  int.  to  you  Dr. 
Sir,  but,  if  you  know  Mr.  Cauldwell  or  Captn.  Hague, 
I  shall  be  extremely  obliged  to  you  to  tell  them  how 
much  I  regret  these  misfortunes.  May  Grace,  Mercy 
and  peace  be  wth.  you. 

I  am,  Dear  Sir, 

Your  cordl  bror., 

John  Ryi^and. 
North  Street,  Bristoi<, 
March  5,  1803. 


86  SERAMPORE   LETTERS. 

The  next  letter  from  William  Carey  shows,  in  no 
small  degree,  the  breadth  of  his  mind  and  the  uni- 
versality of  his  sympathy.  To  most  men  the  sphere 
of  their  own  activities  bounds  the  horizon  of  their 
hopes  and  of  their  desires  ;  but  not  so  with  the  men  to 
whom  the  race  has  owed  its  greatest  debts  of  gratitude. 
With  them,  as  with  John  Wesley,  no  parish  can  be 
adequate  but  the  world  ;  and  such  a  man  was  William 
Carey.  Deep  as  was  his  interest  in  the  progress  of 
missions  in  Bengal,  he  abated  no  jot  of  interest  in  the 
progress  of  Christian  work  in  other  quarters  of  the 
globe,  and  his  anxiety  to  learn  of  the  success  of  the 
efforts  of  Elkanah  Holmes  among  the  North  American 
Indians,  and  of  the  results  of  efforts  to  overthrow  the 
slave-trade  in  the  West  India  Islands,  is  no  less  indica- 
tive of  the  wide  sweep  of  his  observation  than  his  warm 
tribute  to  the  work  of  Mr.  Gericke  in  another  part  of 
India  and  in  connection  with  another  mission  is  indica- 
tive of  the  extent  of  his  Christian  charity  : 

My  dkar  Bror  in  Christ. 

Having  an  opportunity  of  writing  by  the  return  of 
Mr.  Smith  and  family  to  N.  York,  I  can  not  let  it  pass 
without  asking  you  how  you  do,  and  how  affairs  are 
going  on  in  America  at  large,  and  at  N.  York  in  par- 
ticular. Having  at  this  time  written  to  several  corre- 
spondents at  Philadelphia  and  other  places  in  America 
all  that  I  can  say  about  ourselves  can  be  only  like  the 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS,  8/ 

dull  repetition  of  a  twice  told  tale.  I  shall  therefore 
be  very  short  upon  that  head  and  enquire  about  the 
American  Missions.  Do  the  Societies  go  on  with  cour- 
age ?  Are  they  countenanced  by  the  public  ?  Do  per- 
sons fit  for,  and  devoted  to  the  work  offer  themselves 
as  Missionaries  ?  How  does  dear  Bror  Holmes  and  his 
colleagues  ?  What  success  have  they  had  among  the 
Indians  ?  Is  any  thing  done  towards  translating  the 
Bible  into  the  different  Indian  I^anguages  ?  Do  the 
Indians  begin  to  attend  to  the  duties  of  civilized  life  ? 
Are  schools  set  up  and  well  attended  among  them  ? 
&c.,  &c.,  &c.  I  hope  that  the  glorious  work  in  the 
Western  and  Southern  States  is  still  continuing,  and 
will  continue.  Are  the  impressions  in  general  per- 
manent or  not  ?  We  are  to  expect  that  the  blossoms 
will  prove  abortive  in  many  instances,  but  after  every 
production  is  not  the  Harvest  great  ?  What  says  the 
World  to  this  work  ?  What  say  Infidels  to  it  ?  I  sup- 
pose they  will  scoff  but  cannot  resist  its  evidence.  Has 
this  glorious  work  spread  into  any  more  of  the  States  ? 
Has  it  contributed  at  all  to  the  destruction  of  that  dis- 
grace of  America,  and  every  civilized  nation,  the  Slave 
Trade  ?  We  have  heard  some  time  ago  that  the  House 
of  Assembly  in  Jamaica  has  prohibited  the  instruction 
of  the  Negroes,  and  their  religious  meetings.  This  is 
a  very  lamentable  circumstance,  for  there  are  many  of 
our  Brethren  there.  It  is  undoubtedly  the  duty  of  us 
all  to  wrestle  hard  with  God  in  Prayer  for  their  deliver- 


88  SERAMPORE  LETTERS, 

ance.  There  can  be  no  doubt  but  the  hand  of  God 
will  fall  heavily  on  those  Islands  whose  trade  and  even 
existence  is  supported  by  robbery,  oppression,  cruelty, 
persecution  and  murder.  The  I^ord  will  judge  his 
People,  and  when  he  maketh  inquisition  for  Blood  will 
not  forget  the  sighing  of  the  poor  and  needy.  I  hope 
and  trust  in  God  that  the  persecution  of  our  dear 
brethren  there  will  not  last  long.  May  their  persecu- 
tors be  converted  and  not  destroyed. 

We  are  all  in  health  through  the  interposing  good- 
ness of  the  lyord  our  God,  and  the  affairs  of  the  Mis- 
sion are  in  a  promising  state  rather  than  otherwise. 
The  number  of  Natives  baptised  is  twenty-six,  two  of 
whom  have  departed  this  Life,  and  left  a  sweet  savour 
behind  them.  We  have  had  some  occasions  to  exer- 
cise discipline,  but  upon  the  whole  our  friends  give  us 
much  pleasure,  and  we  account  them  our  Glory  and 
Joy.  This  part  of  the  World  has  sustained  a  great  loss 
by  the  death  of  dear  Mr.  Gericke  Missionary  at  Vapery 
near  Madrass  ;  he  has  been  a  Father  in  Israel  for  many 
years,  and  his  *  ...  or  rather  the  success  of  the 
Gospel  in  the  Southern  parts  of  India  has  lately  been 
uncommonly  great,  and  last  year  in  a  journey  which 
he  made  to  the  South  he  baptised  and  formed  into 
churches  about  4000  persons  who  had  then  through  the 
instrumentality  of  native  teachers  and  catechists  re- 
*  Part  of  the  letter  torn  away. 


SEE  AM  PORE   LETTERS.  89 

jected  heathenism  and  embraced  Christianity.  About 
a  week  before  the  account  of  his  death  arrived,  letters 
from  him  informed  us  that  the  work  was  still  going  on, 
and  that  he  was  preparing  for  another  journey  to  those 
parts,  but  how  wonderful  are  the  Ways  of  God, — he 
died  Oct.  2nd  last,  and  there  is  now  no  one  to  succeed 
him.  My  paper  is  filled.  Pray  for  us.  Write  to  us, 
and  be  assured  of  the  Xn.  Love  of 

Yours  Affecty 

Wm.  Carey. 

Cai^CUTTA,  Nov.  15,  1803. 

Before  proceeding  further  with  the  correspondence, 
it  may  be  well  to  advert  to  the  work  of  Elkanah 
Holmes  among  the  American  Indians.  A  plain  man 
himself,  and  not  gifted,  as  his  correspondence  seems  to 
show,  with  many  of  the  graces  of  eloquence,  Elkanah 
Holmes  yet  had  a  marvellous  power  of  winning  his 
way  among  the  Indians  of  North  America,  and  it 
would  have  been  well,  indeed,  for  our  nation  could 
most  of  its  embassadors  to  the  Indians  have  gone  in  the 
spirit  of  Elkanah  Holmes,  and  have  met  with  the  re- 
ception which  he  appears  to  have  met.  There  is  a 
strange  dignity  and  beauty  in  the  following  address 
presented  to  Mr.  Holmes  in  the  name  of  the  Seneca 
nation,  by  Red  Jacket,  the  celebrated  Indian  chief,  on 
Monday,  October  20,  1800  : 


90  serampore  letters. 

"  Fathkr, 

* '  We  are  extremely  happy  that  the  Great  Good 
Spirit  has  permitted  us  to  meet  together  this  day.  We 
have  paid  attention  to  all  that  you  spoke  to  our  ears 
at  our  last  meeting.  We  thank  the  Great  Spirit  who 
has  put  it  into  the  minds  of  the  Great  Society  of  friend- 
ship at  New  York  to  send  you  to  visit  us  : — we  also 
hope  that  the  Great  Spirit  will  always  have  his  eyes 
over  that  Good  Society,  to  strengthen  their  minds  to 
have  friendship  towards  the  poor  natives  of  this  island. 
We  thank  the  Great  Spirit  that  he  has  smoothed  your 
way,  and  has  protected  you  through  the  rugged  paths, 
and  prevented  any  briers  or  thorns  from  pricking  your 
feet.  As  you  came  on  your  way  to  visit  us,  you  called 
on  our  Brothers  the  Oneidas,  and  Muhheconnuks,  and 
Tuscaroras,  who  were  well  acquainted  with  you.  We 
thank  them  for  the  pains  they  have  taken  in  sending 
this  good  talk  with  wampum  :  (at  the  same  time  hold- 
ing the  talk  and  wampum  in  his  hand)  ;  we  are  con- 
vinced that  what  they  say  of  you  is  true,  that  you 
come  purely  out  of  love  to  do  us  good,  and  for  nothing 
else  ;  and  that  there  is  no  deceit  in  your  business,  or 
in  the  good  people  that  sent  you. 

**  Father,  we  now  request  you  to  speak  something 
to  us  about  Jesus  Christ,  and  we  will  give  attention." 

He  then  addressed  his  people  and  requested  them  to 
give  good  attention  to  what  Mr.  Holmes  was  about  to 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS.  9I 

say,  and  make  no  noise,  but  behave  in  a  becoming 
manner.  Mr.  Holmes  then  proceeded  and  endeavored 
to  preach  Christ  to  them.  When  he  had  concluded, 
Red  Jacket  arose  and  made  the  following  speech  to 
him,  after  consulting  the  chiefs  : 

"  Father,  we  thank  the  Great  Good  Spirit  above  for 
what  you  have  spoken  to  us  at  this  time,  and  hope  he 
will  always  incline  your  heart  and  strengthen  you  to 
this  good  work.  We  have  clearly  understood  you,  and 
this  is  all  truth  that  you  have  said  to  us. 

*'  Father,  we  believe  that  there  is  a  Great  Being 
above  who  has  made  heaven  and  earth  and  all 
things  that  are  therein  ;  and  has  the  charge  over 
all  things  :  who  has  made  you  Whites  as  well  as  us 
Indians  :  and  we  believe  there  is  something  great  after 
death. 

*'  Father,  what  you  say  about  our  loving  the  Great 
Spirit  we  know  to  be  truth,  as  he  has  his  eyes  over  all 
things,  and  watches  all  our  movements  and  ways,  and 
hears  all  we  say,  and  knows  all  we  do. 

"  Father,  we  Indians  are  astonished  at  you  Whites, 
that  when  Jesus  Christ  was  among  you,  and  went  about 
doing  good,  speaking  the  good  word,  healing  the  sick, 
and  casting  out  evil  spirits,  that  you  white  people  did 
not  pay  attention  to  him  and  believe  him  ;  and  that 
you  put  him  to  death  when  you  had  the  good  Book  in 
your  possession. 


92  SERAMPORE  LETTERS. 

"Father,  that  we  Indians  were  not  near  to  this 
transaction,  nor  could  we  be  guilty  of  it. 

'  *  Father,  probably  the  Great  Spirit  has  given  to  you 
White  people  the  ways  that  you  follow  to  serve  him, 
and  to  get  your  living  :  and  probably  he  has  given  to 
us  Indians  the  customs  that  we  follow  to  serve  him, 
(handed  down  to  us  by  our  forefathers)  and  our  ways 
to  get  our  living  by  hunting  :  and  the  Great  Spirit  is 
still  good  to  us  to  preserve  game  for  us  :  and  Father, 
you  well  know  you  white  people  are  very  fond  of  our 
skins. 

*'  Father,  you  and  your  good  people  know  that  ever 
since  the  white  people  came  on  this  island,  they  have 
been  always  getting  our  lands  from  us  for  little  or 
nothing. 

* '  Father,  perhaps  if  we  had  had  such  good  people 
as  you  and  your  society,  to  have  stepped  in  and  ad- 
vised us  Indians,  we  and  our  forefathers  would  not 
have  been  so  deceived  by  the  white  people  ;  for  you 
have  the  Great  and  Good  God  always  in  your  sight. 

' '  Father,  we  repeat  it  again — we  wish  you  and  the 
good  people  of  your  society  to  make  your  minds  per- 
fectly easy,  for  we  like  what  you  say,  and  we  thank 
the  Good  Spirit  for  their  good  intentions,  and  that  they 
have  sent  you  to  visit  us. 

' '  Father,  you  do  not  come  like  those  that  have  come 
with  a  bundle  under  their  arms,  or  something  in  their 
hands,  but  we  have  always  found  something  of  deceit 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS.  93 

under  it ;  for  they  are  always  aiming  at  our  lands  ;  but 
you  have  not  come  like  one  of  those — you  have  come 
like  a  father  and  a  true  friend,  to  advise  us  for  our 
good. — We  are  convinced  that  there  is  no  snare  in 
your  business.  We  hope  that  our  talk  to  you  at  this 
time  will  be  communicated  to  your  good  society  at 
New  York,  and  that  the  Good  Spirit  will  protect  you 
and  them  in  this  good  work  that  you  and  they  have 
undertaken — and  we  expect  that  the  bright  chain  of 
friendship  shall  always  exist  between  us — and  we  will 
do  everything  in  our  power  to  keep  that  chain  bright 
from  time  to  time." 

Mr.  Holmes  seems  to  have  given  reports  of  his  work 
among  the  Indians  not  only  to  the  New  York  Mission- 
ary Society,  but  to  the  New  York  Baptist  Association, 
in  whose  early  Minutes  many  references  appear  to  his 
work  ;  thus  in  the  Minutes  for  1802  it  is  recorded  that 
an  affectionate  letter  from  the  Mohheconnuk  nation  of 
Indians  at  New  Stockbridge  was  received,  containing  a 
grateful  acknowledgment  of  the  reception  of  the  books 
sent  them  in  the  preceding  summer ;  and  it  was  per- 
haps no  unnatural  outgrowth  of  this  interest  in  the 
work  of  Elkanah  Holmes  that,  apparently  in  the  year 
1806,  the  New  York  Baptist  Missionary  Society  was 
formed  and  John  Williams  installed  as  its  first  Presi- 
dent. In  1807  its  membership  is  stated  at  112;  and 
among  its  list  of  twelve  Directors  we  note  the  name  of 


94  SERAMPORE  LETTERS. 

John  Cauldwell,  as  to  whom  Dr.  Ryland  inquired. 
The  receipts  of  the  Society  for  that  year  amounted  to 
$626.84,  ^^^  it  was  resolved  to  employ  a  Missionary, 
a  resolution  which  was  carried  into  effect,  the  Rev. 
Charles  I^ahatt  being  appointed  Missionary  for  the 
Society. 

In  the  meanwhile  the  English  Society  was  preparing 
to  send  out  additional  Missionaries,  and  their  coming 
was  announced  in  a  letter  from  Andrew  Fuller,  the 
first  Secretary  of  the  English  Baptist  Mission  Society. 

Bristoi*,  Dec.  5,  1803. 
Dkar  Sir  : — 

As  four  young  men,  and  their  wives  and  a  child,  are 
likely  to  be  a  while  in  your  City  in  their  way  to  Ben- 
gal, we  take  the  liberty  to  recommend  them  to  your 
brotherly  kindness,  persuaded  from  your  former  con- 
duct towards  our  bror  Chamberlain  that  you  will  will- 
ingly give  them  every  assistance  in  your  power. 

Their  names  are  Richard  Marden,  John  Biss,  William 
Moore,  and  Joshua  Rowe.  They  and  their  wives  are 
members  of  baptist  churches,  and  have  walked  as  be- 
cometh  the  gospel.  Bach  of  the  young  men  has 
preached  in  our  churches  with  good  acceptance.  They 
will  advise  with  you,  Mr.  Collier,  Mr.  Jno.  F.  March, 
and  Kzekiel  Robins,  Esqr.,  on  whatsoever  they  may 
need  advice.  To  these  gentlemen  we  have  been  recom- 
mended by  Dr.    Rogers   of   Philadelphia.      We  will 


JOHN   WILLIAMS. 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS.  9$ 

thank  you  to  present  our  christian  love  and  introduce 
our  brethren  and  sisters  to  them. 

They  will  show  you  their  instructions,  and  be  thank- 
ful for  your  advice  and  assistance  in  carrying  them  into 
execution  ;  especially  in  directing  them  to  a  suitable 
place  or  places  during  their  stay  in  your  City,  where 
they  might  be  at  a  moderate  expense,  and  in  the  nego- 
tiation of  a  draft  on  the  society. 

Our  Society  will  be  much  obliged  to  you  and  your 
friends  for  their  assistance. 

I  am  Affecy  yrs. , 

ANDR:ew  Fui,i,KR. 

All  of  the  four  named  had  been  pupils  of  John  Sut- 
cliff  in  Olney,  and  were  evidently  warmly  received  by 
the  friends  of  the  Mission  in  New  York.  It  is  unfor- 
tunate that  none  of  Rev.  John  Williams'  own  letters 
are  in  existence  (as  far  as  the  editors  are  aware),  and, 
consequently,  the  history  of  the  New  York  days  can 
only  be  conjectured.  The  young  missionaries  seem, 
however,  to  have  made  many  friends  during  their  stay 
in  America,  and  many  kind  inquiries  were  made  about 
them.  From  a  short  letter  from  Dr.  Ryland  under  date 
of  June  14,  1804,  it  would  seem  that  the  voyage  from 
England  to  America  must  have  been  a  long  and, perhaps, 
dangerous  one,  and  that  apprehensions  were  felt  as  to 
their  safety,  for  he  writes  :  **  I  have  but  a  few  minutes 
time  to  write  a  line  just  to  thank  you  and  your  friends 


96  SERAMPORE  LETTERS. 

for  all  the  kindness  you  have  shown  to  our  dear  Mis- 
sionaries. The  news  of  their  safe  arrival  was  like  life 
from  the  dead,  for  we  began  to  despair  of  ever  hearing 
of  them.  May  the  Lord  increase  your  usefulness  and 
bless  you  abundantly. ' '  The  same  mail  that  brought 
this  letter  from  Dr.  Ryland  must  have  brought  a  letter 
also  from  John  Rippon  bearing  the  same  date,  in  which 
much  interest  is  expressed  in  the  mission  of  Mr. 
Holmes  to  the  Indians,  and  indeed,  this  interchange 
of  information  as  to  the  various  forms  of  Christian 
work  in  which  the  correspondents  on  both  sides  of  the 
sea  were  severally  interested  formed  one  of  the  strong- 
est ties  between  the  English  and  American  societies. 

The  next  letter  in  the  correspondence  is  one  from 
Richard  Marden,  written  on  the  ship  Sansom,  off  the 
Cape  Verde  Islands,  and  contains  the  narrative  of  his 
voyaging  thus  far.  It  is  followed  by  a  long  and  most 
interesting  letter  from  Andrew  Fuller. 

Ship  Sansom,  Cap^  Verb  Isi^and, 
July  4,  1804. 
Dkar  Sir:— 

May  grace,  mercy  and  peace  from  God  our  Father 
and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  you  and  yours  con- 
tinually. Most  gladly  do  I  embrace  this  opportunity 
of  writing  to  you  a  few  lines  thus  far  on  the  passage, 
which  I  hope  will  not  be  in  vain.  Yesterday  we  made 
the  Isle  of  Bonavista  and  passed  it  by.     This  morning 


SERAMPORE   LETTERS.  97 

about  daylight  we  made  the  Isle  of  St.  May  ;  we  are 
now  very  near  it.  The  captain  talks  of  sending  a  boat 
ashore  ;  we  are  just  within  sight  of  St.  Jago,  where  he 
talks  of  dropping  anchor.  I  hope  I  shall  be  able  to  con- 
vey this  to  you  from  one  of  these  Islands,  but  from 
which  I  am  not  yet  certain.  I  have  the  happiness  to 
inform  you  that  we  are  all  at  present  in  the  enjoyment 
of  a  good  degree  of  health.  We  have  none  of  us  had  any 
sickness  worth  mentioning.  These  light  afflictions  which 
are  but  for  a  moment  will  work  out  for  us  a  far  more  ex- 
ceeding and  eternal  weight  of  glory.  There  is  nothing 
in  this  world  worth  living  for.  There  is  nothing  desir- 
able to  the  Christian  in  this  land  of  the  curse,  this 
state  of  sin  and  imperfection.  I  wish  to  live  only  for 
God,  to  promote  the  interest  of  my  dear  Redeemer. 
How  necessary  is  watchfulness  and  prayer  in  every  step 
through  life,  but  when  I  view  my  own  short-comings, 
I  have  reason  to  be  ashamed  and  confounded  before 
God.  I  long  to  be  delivered  from  the  burden  of  sin, 
and  to  be  sanctified,  body,  soul  and  spirit  throughout. 
I  hope,  sir,  that  you  and  all  my  dear  Christian  [friends] 
will  pray  for  me  and  for  us  all  that  we  may  be  found 
faithful  unto  death.  The  work  is  great  and  arduous,  and 
I  feel  myself  weaker  than  a  bruised  reed  yet  through 
the  help  of  God,  I  trust  I  shall  be  enabled  to  perse- 
vere even  unto  the  end,  and  then  when  called  to  depart 
this  life,  I  hope  to  be  with  Christ,  which  is  far  better. 
When  I  sat  down  to  write,  I  little  thought  of  saying  so 

7 


98  SERAMPORE    LETTERS. 

much  about  myself  and  especially  of  running  on  in 
this  strain  to  such  a  degree,  but  you  will  excuse  my 
freedom.  Tho'  I  am  writing  to  an  Elder^  a  Superior 
and  in  one  sense  a  Stra7iger,  yet  I  am  writing  to  a 
Friend,  and  a  Brother^  for  we  are  all  one  in  Christ 
Jesus. 

The  circumstances  attending  our  voyage  hitherto 
are  in  general  of  a  pleasing  nature.  We  have  had 
good  weather  in  general,  except  one  heavy  storm  the 
6th  of  June,  about  midnight.  The  Captain  is  quite  a 
gentleman.  He  behaves  exceeding  kind  to  us.  We 
have  had  preaching  every  Sabbath  since  we  have  been 
out,  sometimes  once,  and  sometimes  twice ;  we  have 
preached  two  or  three  times  on  deck  on  lyord's  Day 
mornings,,  the  capn  calls  all  hands  to  attend.  We  are 
never  hindered  from  attending  to  any  religious  duty. 
We  were  likely  to  put  back  again  to  some  port  in 
America  a  few  days  after  we  came  out.  The  ship 
sprung  a  leak,  and  they  were  obliged  to  keep  the 
pumps  working  every  hour;  this  continued  several 
days,  and  the  leak  increased,  but  they  found  it  out  and 
stopt  it  themselves.  I  must  close  ;  the  boat  is  just 
going  ashore.  I  intend  writing  also  to  Mr.  Smith,  but 
time  will  not  permit,  for  which  I  am  sorry.  I  '11  en- 
deavour to  embrace  the  next  opportunity.  Give  our 
kind  love  to  all  the  dear  friends  in  York,  espy,  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Smith.  As  I  have  no  opportunity  of  writing 
to  Kngland,  if  you  would  write  a  few  lines  to  any  of 


SERAMPORE    LETTERS.  99 

our   friends    the  first    opportunity,  you  would    much 
oblige,  your  humble  serv^ant, 

Richard  Mardon. 
P.  S. 

While  I  was  writing  this,  Mrs.  Mardon  wrote  a  few 
lines  to  her  friends,  which  I  have  taken  the  liberty  to 
enclose  in  this,  which  I  would  thank  you  to  send  to 
England  by  the  first  conveyance. 

Kettering,  Aug.  i,  180 
My  dejar  Bror. 

I  reed.  yrs.  of  June  12  a  day  or  two  ao:o.  We  are  all 
greatly  obliged  by  the  kindness  of  our  brethren  in  New 
York  to  the  Missionaries.  We  feel  it,  and  we  rejoice 
that  others  feel  it  a  work  which  in  all  its  operations 
expands  and  unites  the  hearts  of  Xns.  We  also  re- 
joice to  hear  of  the  work  of  God  in  your  countr>^,  tho' 
some  things  attending  it  have  rather  stunned  us  ;  but 
in  most  instances  of  the  kind  there  has  been  a  mixture 
of  chaff  among  the  wheat  in  order  to  try  men.  I  think 
our  churches  (I  mean  the  baptists)  are  low  in  general. 
Those  about  the  midland  counties  have  suffered  heavy 
losses  by  the  removals  of  Carey  from  lycicester,  Ryland 
from  Northampton,  Pearce  from  Birmingham,  Morris 
from  Clipstone  and  Blundel  from  Arnsby.  These  were 
our  most  able  and  active  ministers  ;  and  though  four 
out  of  the  five  are  labouring  in  other  parts  of  the  vine- 
yard, yet  the  general  connection  hereabouts  feel  their 


100  SERAMPORE  LETTERS. 

loss.  I  think  the  churches  in  the  West  of  England 
have  been  of  late  in  the  most  thriving  condition.  An 
Antinomian  doctrine  and  spirit  has  almost  ruined  a 
great  number  of  our  churches  in  Norfolk,  Suffolk, 
Yorkshire,  &c. 

We  consider  the  mission  to  Bengal  as  the  most  fa- 
vourable symptom  attending  our  denomination.  It 
confirms  what  has  been  for  some  time  with  me  an  im- 
portant principle,  that  where  any  denomination,  con- 
gregation, (or  individual)  seeks  only  its  own,  it  will  be 
disappointed,  but  where  it  seeks  the  Kingdom  of  God 
and  his  righteousness,  its  own  prosperity  will  be  among 
the  things  that  will  be  added  unto  it.  I  have  seen 
great  zeal  for  what  among  us  is  called  the  dissenting 
interest ;  and  in  such  hands  the  dissenting  interest  has 
died.  Had  they  sought  more  to  make  men  Christians, 
they  should  in  most  cases  have  been  dissenters  of  their 
own  accord.  In  fact  I  see  that  in  those  congregations 
where  the  main  object  is  what  it  should  be,  there  reli- 
gion flourishes.  The  same  may  be  said  of  baptists. 
If  the  first  fruits  of  our  zeal  be  laid  out  in  making 
proselytes  to  that  denomination,  however  right  the 
thing  may  be  in  itself,  the  I^ord  will  frown  upon  us  and 
leave  us.  But  if  we  be  mainly  employed  in  making 
men  Xns,  we  need  not  fear  but  they  will  be  baptists. 
It  is  of  great  consequence  to  pursue  things  according 
to  their  importance,  making  that  a  first  concern  which 
is  first,  and  that  a  Second  which  is  secondary.  In  seek- 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS.  lOI 

ing  the  salvation  of  others  a  man  will  find  his  own. 
He  who  is  exalted  as  head  over  all  things  obtained  that 
glory  by  denying  himself  for  the  sake  of  others. 

I  was  delighted  yesterday  in  reading  some  of  our 
last  intelligence  from  the  East,  down  to  Dec.  1803.  A 
Dialogue  founded  on  facts — drawn  up  with  only  a  little 
variation  in  phraseology  by  bror  Ward. 

Boodheesa,  one  of  the  Xn  natives  was  bom  a  Mussul- 
man and  brought  up  to  farming ;  but  afterwards  be- 
came a  Byraggee,  a  kind  of  holy  beggar.  Being 
instructed  by  his  new  Goroo,  or  teacher  he  left  his 
friends  and  employment,  and  set  off  begging,  and 
repeating  the  forms  of  his  new  cast.  In  this  way  he 
did  many  acts  incredibly  difl&cult  and  painful.  Hear- 
ing a  little  of  the  gospel  he  came  three  days  journey  to 
Serampore  ;  heard  more  ;  was  inclined  to  wait  for  fur- 
ther instruction  ;  and  was  at  length  baptised,  account- 
ing all  his  hard-acquired  holiness  but  ' '  dung  that  he 
might  win  Christ  and  be  found  in  him."  On  leaving 
Serampore  he  resolved  to  return  to  his  house  which  he 
had  forsaken  on  becoming  a  Byraggee.  When  he 
arrived  he  stood  at  the  door,  and  as  soon  as  they  saw 
him  they  all  with  weeping  invited  him  in.  He  told 
them  he  could  not  go  in,  as  he  had  lost  Cast,  and  he 
did  not  wish  to  give  them  sorrow  without  their  consent. 

'*  Come  in  my  Son,"  said  the  Mother  (a  ver>^  old 
woman,  weeping)  ''why  do  you  stand  at  the  door  ?  " 


I02  SERAMPORE  LETTERS. 

Boodheesa.  ""  No  Mother,  I  cannot  come  into  the 
house.  You  will  lose  your  cast,  for  I  have  eaten  with 
English  people." 

The  Mother,  brothers  and  wife.  ' '  Well,  but  cannot 
you  come  in  ?  " 

Boodheesa.  **  No,  I  will  not  come  in,  but  if  you  will 
come  and  sit  out,  I  will  tell  you  what  I  have  done,  and 
why  I  have  done  it." 

The  Family.  *'  Come  then,  let  us  go  and  sit  in  the 
Cow-house. ' ' 

Boodheesa  (sitting  with  his  friends  round  him  in  the 
cow-house).  "  You  all  know  that  I  have  never  done 
any  thing  but  for  the  best.  It  was  to  seek  my  good 
that  I  became  a  Byraggee,  and  therefore  you  may  be 
sure  that  what  I  have  now  done  has  been  to  secure  my 
salvation." 

Mother.     *'  Well,  my  Son,  let  us  hear." 

Boodheesa.  ' '  You  know  that  I  have  wandered  up 
and  down  in  search  of  the  true  way.  I  forsook  the 
world.  I  became  a  Byraggee.  I  have  obtained  my 
food  by  begging.  I  have  repeated  the  name  of  God 
continually.  I  have  visited  different  holy  places  I  have 
performed  the  Bromha  Sadon.-t^  I  have  performed  the 
SoorjaSadon,  and  for  12  months,  12  hours  every  day 
fixed  my  eyes  on  the  blazing  orb,  till  I  became  blind, 
and  my  face,  as  black  as  ink,  was  dried  up.  You  know 
*  Worship  paid  to  Bromha. 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS.  IO3 

that  I  then  performed  the  Chuudro  Sadon  *  to  recover 
my  sight,  and  to  obtain  some  fruit  for  my  soul.  Be- 
sides this,  I  have  done  other  very  severe  and  terrific 
acts,  called  holiness  ;  but  all  was  in  vain.  I  continued 
a  slave  to  sin,  and  my  mind  was  destitute  of  happiness. 
At  length  I  heard  of  there  being  a  new  way  preached 
at  Serampore.  I  have  been  there,  and  have  heard  glad 
tidings,  that  Jesus  Xt.  came  into  the  world,  and  bore 
the  punishment  due  to  sinners.  This  is  a  great  word, 
and  it  has  filled  my  soul  with  hope  and  joy.  Hence  I 
have  laid  aside  the  proud  thought  of  making  amends 
for  my  own  transgressions.  I  make  my  refuge  in  his 
death,  and  consider  all  my  own  holiness  as  a  heap  of 
sin.  I  have  been  baptised  in  his  name.  If  I  can  be- 
lieve in  him,  and  obey  his  command,  I  shall  get  over 
my  everlasting  ruin.  If  you  can  unite  with  me  in  be- 
coming the  disciples  of  Xt.,  then  I  shall  find  my  home, 
my  mother,  my  brother,  my  wife,  and  a  Saviour  all 
at  once ;  but  if  you  cannot,  then  I  will  abide  by  my 
Saviour,  and  go  every  where  proclaiming  his  name. 
If  I  die  in  this  work,  under  a  tree,  or  any  where  else, 
verily  it  shall  then  be  well  with  me. ' ' 

Mother.  '*  My  son,  I  am  now  become  old.  In 
looking  round  me  I  see  only  you  and  your  brother  and 
sisters.     I  see  no  world  below  but  you.     If  you  have 

*  The  worship  of  the  Moon,  by  fixing  the  eyes  upon  its 
shadow  as  seen  in  the  water,  and  repeating  a  munter  &c. 


I04  SERAMPORE   LETTERS, 

found  this  good  news,  well,  Let  your  brother  go  with 
you  and  see  and  believe  and  if  he  find  things  so,  and  a 
Saviour  has  died  for  us,  why  may  not  we  be  baptised 
and  share  in  your  benefit  ?  ' ' 

Sadu^sa  (the  brother).  *' I  will  go  to  Serampore 
with  you.  I  had  thought  of  staying  at  home,  and  of 
remaining  unmarried  to  nourish  my  mother  till  her 
death  ;  and  then  of  becoming  a  Byraggee,  that  having 
left  the  world,  at  death  I  might  obtain  salvation.  But 
now  I  will  go  with  you,  and  hear  about  Yesu 
Khreest." 

Mother,  "Well,  Son,  let  us  go  in.  You  must  eat 
with  us.  Why  should  you  stay  out  ?  Are  you  then 
of  a  different  cast  from  your  own  brother  ?  ' ' 

They  leave  the  cow-house,  and  at  the  voice  of 
maternal  love,  at  the  call  of  yr  gospel,  and  in  spite  of 
the  interdictions  of  the  infernal  cast,  they  eat  and  drink 
together,  saying  one  to  another,  * '  Let  us  now  go  even 
unto  Bethlehem  and  see  this  thing  which  is  come  to 
pass,  which  the  Lord  hath  made  known  to  us  !  " 

I  have  copied  the  above  as  a  sweet  morsel  for  you 
and  the  dear  Xn.  friends  about  you.  I  am  obliged  to 
you  for  your  favourable  reception  of  what  I  have 
written,  and  your  wishes  for  me  to  write  more.  My 
hands  are  very  full  with  Missionary  labours.  I  have 
been  out  on  that  business  the  two  last  months.  I  be- 
lieve our  funds  are  now  more  than  exhausted  for  the 
first  time.     But  the  bills  from  New  York  will  be  duly 


SERAMPORE   LETTERS.  IO5 

honoured.  I  have  been  lately  preparing  for  the  press 
an  Octavo  Volume  of  Expository  discourses  on  the 
book  of  Genesis.  It  may  however  be  a  year  ere  it  is 
out.  It  has  been  my  practice  to  expound  a  chapter 
every  Ms.  day  forenoon,  for  the  last  14  years.  This 
volume  will  be  a  part  of  those  expositions.  I  wish  I 
cd.  get  time  to  write  Dr.  Rogers.  Remember  me 
affectionately  to  Mr.  Miller,  Mr.  Mason  and  all  those 
dear  friends,  Smith,  Cauldwell,  &c.,  &c.,  whose  houses 
and  hearts  were  opened  to  our  dear  young  people.  We 
had  many  fears  for  them,  but  we  bless  God  that  hither- 
to he  hath  helped  us. 

I  am 

Yr.  affecte.  bror., 

A.  FuLI^KR. 

This  letter  itself  is  a  most  remarkable  one,  exhibit- 
ing, as  it  does,  two  elements  in  the  founders  of  this 
new  mission  which  are  seldom  to  be  met,  a  wonderful 
breadth  of  view  on  the  one  hand,  combined  with  a  deep 
and  clear  insight  into  the  character  of  individuals  on 
the  other.  The  churches  have  scarcely  yet  risen  to  an 
apprehension  of  the  true  spirit  of  Catholicity  which 
breathes  in  the  opening  words  of  Fuller,  and  surely  he 
would  be  a  rash  man  who  would  lightly  undertake  to 
analyze  with  more  of  beauty  and  truth  the  feelings  of 
the  new  convert  than  has  been  done  in  the  simple  dia- 
logue with  which  the  letter  concludes,  and  which  was 


I06  SERAMPORE   LETTERS. 

the  work  of  William  Ward,  the  third  in  the  great  trio 
of  the  Serampore  missionaries.  Nor  is  the  letter  inter- 
esting only  from  the  religious  standpoint.  The  types 
of  Hindoo  character  presented  in  the  dialogue,  and  in 
many  similar  episodes  from  Ward's  pen,  are  rapidly 
passing  away,  and  are  being  replaced  by  a  strange 
amalgamation  produced  by  the  mingling  of  Eastern 
and  Western  civilization.  Whatever  else  England  has 
done  for  India,  she  has  not  developed  the  native 
character,  and  such  examples  of  that  character  as  are 
to  be  found  in  this  letter  and  in  the  pages  of  Ward's 
famous  work  on  the  Hindoos  are  rapidly  coming  to 
have  a  unique  value  as  presenting  a  type  of  a  civiHza- 
tion  that  has  passed,  or  is  passing,  rapidly  away. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  correspondence  here 
given  contains  but  one  letter  from  John  Sutcliff,  and 
that  a  very  brief  and  not  a  very  important  one.  As  it 
is  the  only  one,  however,  it  is  here  presented  to  the 
reader  : 

Very  Dkar  sir  ; — 

I  seize  an  opportunity  of  sending  by  Mr.  Harding, 
a  line  to  express  my  gratitude,  and  that  of  many  here, 
for  your  kindness  to  our  young  friends  at  New  York. 
Owing  to  a  weakness  in  my  right  hand,  I  can  write 
but  little  ;  but,  perhaps,  we  could  now  and  then  ex- 
change a  line,  an  association  letter  &c. ,  it  would  afford 
me  pleasure  to  receive  any  thing  of  this  kind.     Per- 


ANDREW  FULLER. 


SERAMPORE   LETTERS.  \Oj 

haps  you  may  sometime  have  a  friend  coming  to  Lon- 
don, who  would  leave  a  small  packet  for  me  at  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Button's,  24  Paternoster  Row.  Has  any 
person  defended  the  work  in  Kentucky,  against  Ran- 
kin's Review  ?  Have  seen  Rankin,  and  should  rejoice 
to  see  any  judicious  piece  in  defense  of  the  work. 

One  of  our  friends  mentions  the  kindness  of  a  Mr. 
Whithington.  If  he  ever  lived  in  Manchester,  I  knew 
him,  &  Mrs.  W. 

With  best  wishes  for  your  usefulness  and  comfort,  I 

rest 

Yours  most  cordially, 

John  Sutci^iff, 
Ol^NEY,  Augt.  29,  1804. 

The  next  letter  in  the  series,  from  Joshua  Rowe,  one 
of  the  young  missionaries  who  came  out  in  1803,  takes 
up  the  narrative  at  the  point  where  Mardon  had 
left  it.  The  good  ship  Sa7isom  reached  Madras  in 
safety,  and  the  letter  records  the  fortunes  of  the  little 
party  after  their  landing,  and  with  that  from  Richard 
Mardon  himself,  brings  the  narrative  down  to  the  close 
of  the  year  1805  : 

Serampore,  Octr.  3rd,  1805. 
My  dear  bro.  Wili^iams  : 

Have  just  been  informed  by  Bro.  Marshman,  who  is 
come  from  Calcutta,  that  there  is  a  ship  going  to  sail 
for  N.  York  in  a  few  days.     I  suppose  the  shortness  of 


I08  SERAMPORE  LETTERS. 

the  time  alloted  me  will  confine  the  limits  of  the  pres- 
ent correspondence  to  one  letter,  and  I  am  persuaded  I 
owe  that  to  you.  Hope  long  before  this  my  New  York 
friends  have  received  the  profiles,  &c.  that  I  sent  from 
Madras  by  the  return  of  the  Sansom.  Many  of  them 
are  a  letter  in  debt  to  me.  A  few  months  since,  I  reed, 
some  pamphlets,  &c.  from  my  friend,  Mr.  Cauldwell ; 
also,  a  share  in  a  letter  !  I  had  no  idea,  while  in  N.  Y. 
that  paper  was  scarce,  if  I  had,  I  wd.  have  left  him  a 
quire. 

From  the  supposition  that  our  letters  from  Madras 
have  been  received,  I  shall  say  nothing  respecting  our 
voyage  in  the  Sansom.  During  our  residence  at 
Madras,  we  experienced  much  kindness  from  Europe- 
ans. We  had  an  opportunity  of  preaching,  in  the 
house  in  wh.  we  lived,  every  lyord's  Day,  and  often  on 
week  days.  In  general,  we  were  pretty  well  attended. 
Hope  the  seed  sown  will  take  root.  Some  of  us  w^ere 
invited  to  stay.  They  went  so  far  as  to  make  three 
subscriptions,  one  to  help  defray  our  expenses  while 
there,  another  to  build  a  Chapel,  and  another  for  a 
standing  fund,  the  interest  of  which  was  to  go  tow- 
ards our  support  if  we  would  remain  ;  some  indi- 
viduals also  came  forward  with  considerable  offers, 
on  condition  of  our  continuing.  These  circum- 
stances had  much  weight  on  my  mind,  being  so- 
licited to  stay.  After  considering  the  design  of  our 
coming  out,  and  also  of  there  being  a  Mission  already 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS.  IO9 

established  there,  we  answered  their  solicitations  in 
the  negative. 

Am  sorry  that  I  have  but  little  to  say  respecting  the 
flourishing  state  of  religion  at  Madras.  The  death  of 
Swartz  and  Gerick  will  be  severely  felt.  They  were 
truly  apostolic  Missionaries.  There  are  two  Mission- 
aries here,  Mr.  Paezold  and  Dr.  Rottler  (from  Tinqui- 
bar).  From  all  I  cd.  see  and  hear,  money  is  the  great 
idol  of  the  former,  but  the  latter  (Dr.  R.  of  Tinquibar) 
I  sincerely  love  as  a  Missionary.  Hope  the  Lord  will 
raise  up  more  faithful  servants,  and  thrust  them  forth 
into  his  vineyard. 

We  had  to  wait  a  long  time  for  a  passage,  and  after 
all  were  obliged  to  leave  Brethn.  Mardon  and  Biss  be- 
hind. About  the  4th  of  Feby.  last,  Bro.  Moore  and 
self  sailed  for  Bengal,  and  in  about  15  days  arrived  at 
Calcutta,  after  a  narrow  escape  from  a  French  Frigate. 

We  found  our  friends  here  well,  except  the  affliction 
occasioned  by  the  death  of  Mrs.  Chamberlain.  Am 
very  happy  in  my  present  situation.  Have  my  hands 
full  of  work,  which  is  so  various  that  I  cannot  here 
particular  mention  them.  Since  my  arrival,  Bro. 
Carey  has  baptized  10  persons,  3  of  whom  were  natives 
and  2  Europeans.  Expect  that  Bro.  Carey  will  bap- 
tize 4  or  5  more,  next  Lord's  Day.  Bro.  Moore  has 
been  to  Dacca  to  distribute  tracts.  Bro.  Biss  is  going 
to  live  near  Dinegapore,  and  Bro.  Mardon  is  going  into 
the  Jassore  countr>\     There  is  a  chapel  going  to  be 


no  SERAMPORE  LETTERS. 

erected  by  subscription  in  Calcutta,  for  the  use  of  all 
who  preach.  Bro.  Carey  continues  at  the  college.  Is 
publishing  a  Sanscrit  Grammar  and  Mahratta  Diction- 
ar)\  The  Brethren  have  engaged,  under  the  patron- 
age and  support  of  the  Asiatic  Society  and  College 
Council,  to  translate  and  print  some  of  the  Hindoo 
Shasters.  The  Ramyun  is  the  first  selected,  and  will 
take  3  or  4  years  to  accomplish.  Hope  the  Bible 
will  soon  be  completed  in  the  Bengalese.  The  trans- 
lation of  the  scriptures  into  several  of  the  eastern  lan- 
guages is  also  going  on.  We  have  had  two  or  three 
inquiries  within  this  day  or  two.  Petumber  Singe  is 
dead  ;  he  died  triumphing  in  God.  Most  of  our  native 
brethren  give  us  much  pleasure.  Many  of  them 
preach.  Upon  the  whole,  we  have  much  reason  for 
thankfulness. 

Am  glad  to  hear  of  the  increase  of  your  church. 
Often  think  of  you,  often  pray  for  you,  often  anticipate 
the  meeting  above.  Brethren  and  Sisters,  did  they 
know  I  was  writing,  would  cordially  unite  with  Mrs. 
R.  and  self  in  love  to  you,  Mrs.  W.  and  all  our  N.  Y. 
friends. 

Most  affectionately  yours, 

Joshua  Rowk. 

It  is  not  for  want  of  a  will  that  I  have  not  written 
more.  I  am  in  hope  of  giving  you  a  little  more  by  Mr. 
Cauldwell.  Hope  you  will  write  me  the  first  opportu- 
nity. 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS.  Ill 

Serampore,  Deer.  26tb,  1805. 

Revd  and  dkar  Sir  : 

A  fair  opportunity  now  presents  itself  to  send  you  a 
little  news  from  India  which  I  can  by  no  means  let 
slip.  I  wish  I  had  time  to  write  more  of  my  friends  in 
New  York,  but  I  must  beg  to  be  excused  for  the 
present. 

Two  of  our  Brethren,  J.  Maylin  and  J.  Fernandez, 
Junr,  Ksqrs,  who  are  members  with  us  in  full  com- 
munion, have  taken  a  passage  in  the  William  Penn  of 
Philadelphia  on  their  way  to  England,  and  expect  to 
sail  in  the  course  of  a  few  days.  They  intend  at 
present  to  travel  from  Philadelphia  to  New  York  in 
order  to  procure  a  passage  direct  to  Bristol ;  it  is  prob- 
able, therefore,  that  you  will  receive  this  letter  at 
their  hands.  As  they  are  both  entire  strangers  to 
America,  it  would  be  of  great  service  to  them  to  know 
where  to  light  on  a  Christian  Friend.  Provision  of 
this  kind,  however,  will  be  made  by  some  of  the  senr 
Brethren  who  are  writing  to  different  Friends  in  Amer- 
ica, and  I  believe  to  you.  Should  you,  or  any  of  the 
Friends  of  Christ  in  New  York  be  favoured  with  their 
company  I  think  you  will  not  only  find  it  pleasant  but 
profitable,  as  they  will  be  able  to  tell  you  many  partic- 
ulars of  the  state  of  affairs  in  this  part  of  the  globe,  and 
especially  what  the  I,ord  has  done  for  us,  and  for  his 
church  in  this  place.  And  indeed  we  may  say  with 
the  Psalmist,  ' '  the  Lord  hath  done  great  things  for  us, 


112  SERAMPORE  LETTERS. 

whereof  we  are  glad. "  'T  is  true,  when  we  look  around 
on  the  multitude  that  our  eyes  are  called  daily  to  be- 
hold who  are  involved  in  heathen  darkness  and  super- 
stition, bowing  down  to  idols  and  trUvSting  in  gods  that 
cannot  save,  there  is  enough  to  make  our  hearts  ache, 
and  to  excite  every  tender  emotion  of  the  mind  ;  but, 
on  the  other  hand,  when  we  reflect  on  the  success  with 
which  the  I^ord  has  crowned  the  Mission,  we  have 
reason  to  rejoice  and  shout  for  joy.  I  don't  know  how 
many  Hindoos  have  been  baptised  and  joined  our 
Church  from  the  first,  but  since  our  arrival  at  Seram- 
pore,  in  May  last,  I  suppose  about  30  have  joined  us. 
We  had  the  pleasure  to  see  10  in  one  day  publicly  avow 
their  attachment  to  the  Redeemer  by  being  baptised  in 
his  name.  A  pleasing  sight  !  The  I^ord  will  carry  on 
his  work  in  spite  of  all  opposition.  He  is  making  in- 
roads in  Satan's  Kingdom.  It  begins  to  totter,  and 
must  finally  fall,  for  Christ  must  reign  till  he  hath  put 
all  enemies  under  his  feet. 

The  Lord  has  blessed  several  of  our  native  Bren  with 
ministerial  gifts,  and  others  are  promising.  We  have 
a  Missionary  Station  at  Cutna,  about  90  miles  to  the 
north,  superintended  by  Bror  Chamberlain.  Bror  Fer- 
nandez, senr,  who  resides  at  Dingapore,  is  publishing 
the  gospel  in  that  neighborhood.  We  expect  him  here 
in  a  few  days.  Bror  Biss  is  going  with  him.  We  have 
several  native  Bren  at  Jessore,  more  to  the  east.  We 
have  taken  some  steps  towards  forming  a  station  there, 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS.  1 13 

which  we  hope  soon  to  accomplish.  I  expect  to  reside 
there.  I  am  sorry  I  have  neither  time  nor  room  to  en- 
large, but  I  hope  this  defect  will  be  supplied  by  our 
Bren.  We  are  all  well  and  happy.  Mrs.  M.  unites  in 
love  to  you  and  Mrs.  W.  with  all  our  Xn  Friends. 
I  remain  yours  in  the  best  of  bonds, 

R.  Mardon. 

By  the  kindness  of  Sir  W.  T.  lycwis  we  are  enabled 
to  present  also  a  letter  addressed  to  the  English  Society 
by  six  Missionaries  and  giving  a  more  general  account 
of  the  work  at  Serampore. 

DKARI^Y  BKIvOVKD  in  our  lyORD 

Considering  you  as  being  one  with  ourselves,  and  as 
equally  sharing  in  our  sorrows  and  our  joys,  we  feel  a 
pleasure  at  the  return  of  the  Season  for  our  quarterly 
correspondence.  We  have  reason  to  complain  a  little, 
on  account  of  not  regularly  receiving  your  quarterly 
communication.  Twelve  months,  if  not  more,  have 
elapsed  since  we  received  the  last  public  letter  from 
you ;  notwithstanding  that  the  Fleet,  and  many  extra 
ships,  have  arrived  from  England. 

It  is  our  desire  to  impart  every  thing  interesting  ; 
altho'  when  we  view  the  vast  importance  of  the  work 
in  which  we  are  engaged,  the  many  circumstances, 
which  have  occurred,  and  the  disqualifications  we  pos- 
sess, when  compared  with  the  greatness  of  the  under- 


114  SERAMPORE  LETTERS. 

taking,  we  are  constrained  to  impart  anything  of  a 
pleasing  nature,  with  fear  and  trembling. 

As  a  family,  God  has  laid  us  under  great  obligations, 
by  his  tender  dealings  towards  us.  The  greater  part 
of  2is  have  been  laid  under  his  afflicting  hand.  Bror. 
Biss  has  an  attack  of  the  I^iver  Complaint 

He  has  undergone  one  salivation,  and  is  now  enter- 
ing upon  another ;  we  hope  he  has  received  much 
benefit  from  the  first  and  that  this  will  effectually  re- 
move the  complaint. 

As  a  Church,  we  have  been  exercised  with  various 
feelings.  We  have  been  under  the  painful  necessity  of 
excluding  John,  Golamee  and  Anunda  for  conduct  un- 
becoming the  Gospel.  Our  Brother  Seeboo  of  Jessore 
died  in  April  last.  He  was  at  his  own  house  among 
his  heathen  relations,  therefore  we  know  but  little, 
respecting  the  state  of  his  mind  at  the  hour  of  dissolu- 
tion. Our  Brother  Bykunta  was  at  his  house  a  short 
time  after  his  death.  His  widow  told  him  that  a  few 
days  before  her  Husband's  death,  he  refused  to  repeat 
the  names  of  the  Heathen  Gods,  when  desired  to  do  it 
by  some  of  his  heathen  neighbours. 

He  recommended  it  to  her  to  embrace  the  Saviour 
and  expressed  his  desire  that  she  would  go  to  Seram- 
pore  to  be  instructed  in  the  way  of  life.  May  God 
seal  this,  his  dying  advice  upon  her  heart  as  we  trust 
he  did  that  of  our  departed  Petumber  Sing.     Our  na- 


SERAMPORE    LETTERS.  II5 

live  Brethren  &  Sisters  at  Ram  Krishnoopore,  have 
had  to  encounter  much  opposition,  and  some  of  them 
are  now  reduced  to  very  destitute  circumstances.  When 
we  behold  the  Christian  fortitude  which  they  have 
manifested  in  the  midst  of  their  distress,  we  are  con- 
strained to  acknowledge  that  the  Hand  of  God  is  with 
them. 

Amidst  all  our  painful  exercises,  we  are  refreshed  by 
pleasing  occurances. 

We  have  felt  happy  in  being  enabled  to  restore  Roop, 
Mohun,  and  Goluk  Mohun's  wife,  to  church  fellow- 
ship. Mrs.  Kphraim  Burford  whose  father  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  church  under  the  Pastoral  care  of  Mr.  Booth  ; 
Ram  Nul  an  Hindoo  from  Mirzapore ;  Dazee ;  our 
Bror  Rogunath's  wife ;  Mohun  a  carpenter,  who  now 
lives  at  Serampore  ;  and  Manick  of  Jessore,  have  given 
themselves  up  to  the  Church. 

With  respect  to  the  Mission  in  general  many  things 
have  occurred,  which  afford  us  much  encouragment. 
At  Present  we  have  four  enquirers,  Bhyrub  a  person 
from  Krishnonagoi  Punshanum  from  the  district  of 
Mahmoodshye ;  Ram  Yeebum  from  Calcutta,  and 
Saneteram  from  Chitagong. 

There  is  much  in  them  of  a  pleasing  nature,  and  we 
hope  that  the  hearts  of  some  of  them  are  turned  unto 
the  Lord. 

Several  other  persons  have  occasionally  visited  us. 


Il6  SERAMPORE    LETTERS. 

These  circumstances  tend  to  establish  our  faith  in 
that  precious  promise,  "The  word  of  the  Lord  shall 
not  return  void. ' ' 

Our  dear  Bro'  Fernandez  still  continues  abounding 
in  his  labours  of  Love,  and  is  not  without  hope  that 
the  Lord  is  owning  them  for  good. 

The  Lord  seems  to  have  begun  to  work  in  the  heart 
of  a  Mussulman,  who  lives  near  Dinagepore,  whose 
name  is  Turrickulla.  Bro'  Fernandez  sayes,  in  a  letter 
lately  received  from  him  that  he  still  continues  to  give 
him  hope.  "  When  ever  he  comes  to  see  us  he  joins  us 
in  family  prayer.  He  lately  demoUshed  an  Kedgah" 
(a  wall  with  steps  along  one  side  of  it  on  which  people 
sit  to  read  the  Koran)  built  many  years  ago  upon  his 
own  little  Estate. 

By  this  act,  and  his  inclination  to  the  Christian  Re- 
ligion, he  has  raised  some  enemies.  The  school  is 
still  continued.  Our  native  brethren  Galak  and  Fu- 
tick,  are  gone  to  Dinagepoor,  and  from  their  present 
activity,  promised  to  be  useful  in  making  known  the 
word  of  Life.  Bidya-nath  left  us  with  them  but  has 
deserted  them  and  we  fear  has  deserted  the  cause  too. 
Krishnoo  Pawl  also  accompanied  them  for  the  purpose 
of  itinerating  about  Guamalty,  Malda  Ragmahl  &c.  He 
was  kindly  received  by  our  European  friends  at  these 
places,  and  his  labours  seem  to  have  been  very  accepta- 
ble.    He  has  now  returned. 

Bro'   Chamberlain  has  had  many   opportunities  of 


SERAMPORE    LETTERS.  II7 

preaching  the  word  &  distributing  tracts  to  numbers 
of  people  from  different  parts  of  the  Country.  He  gives 
us  a  pleasing  account  of  Kangalee,  whose  assistance  is 
very  useful  to  him  when  itinerating.  He  has  some 
hope  respecting  a  person  of  the  name  of  Seeboo  Roy, 
who  has  been  to  see  him  several  times  and  manifests  a 
concern  about  the  Gospel.  Kangalee  has  been  to  visit 
Grididor  who  we  fear  is  gone  back  into  the  world.  He 
was  very  ill,  but  seem  to  have  little  concern  about  his 
soul. 

The  people  at  Cutwah  are  much  prejudiced  against 
the  Gospel,  in  consequence  of  which,  several  of  the 
most  promising  children  have  been  taken  from  the 
school. 

Several  of  our  Jassore  brethren  are  now  at  Seram- 
pore.  Krishnoo  has  taken  a  journey  thither  to  enquire 
into  their  state  and  to  preach  the  word  to  them.  He 
found  some  of  them  very  low,  being  much  discoiuraged 
on  account  of  the  opposition  they  have  met  with,  since 
the  Gospel  has  been  more  generally  made  known 
there. 

The  school  at  Bishoo  Hurry  is  for  the  present  given 
up.     Krishnoo  returned  with  an  enquirer  or  two. 

Our  English  Congregation  at  Calcutta  continues  in 
nearly  the  same  state  as  usual.  A  piece  of  ground  is 
purchased  in  a  populous  part  of  the  city,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  erecting  a  Chapel.  At  Present  a  temporary 
place  is  erected  for  preaching  in  Bengalee. 


Il8  SERAMPORE    LETTERS. 

Our  Bro'  Juggunnath  is  stationed  there  that  he  may 
converse  with  people  and  distribute  tracts. 

Our  brother  Krishnoo  Dap  of  Ram  Krishnoopore,  is 
also  engaged  in  Calcutta  in  the  same  work. 

Great  numbers  of  natives  flock  to  this  place.  The 
Purchase  of  the  ground  has  nearly  exhausted  the  sub- 
scription.    We  hope  the  lyord  will  provide. 

We  have  had  opportunities  of  circulating  tracts, 
pretty  extensively.  Two  of  us  with  some  native 
brethren,  have  been  at  a  large  assembly  of  natives  at 
Sooksanger,  met  for  the  purpose  of  worshipping  Gunga. 
Great  numbers  received  the  tracts  with  apparent  eager- 
ness, and  many  swam  after  the  boat  for  them,  when 
they  came  away.  We  have  also  distributed  a  consid- 
erable number  at  the  annual  resort  of  the  people,  to  the 
idol  Zuggunath,  near  Serampore.  Some  of  the  Brah- 
mans,  and  others  who  are  influenced  by  them,  tear  the 
tracts  which  they  have  received,  to  pieces,  and  throw 
them  about  the  road  ;  but  we  rejoice  in  the  hope,  that 
many  of  them  are  carried  away  by  those  who  may 
perhaps  read  them,  and  pray  that  the  blessing  of  God 
Almighty  may  attend  them. 

Proposals  have  been  sent  to  different  parts  of 
this  country,  and  published  in  the  Newspapers,  for 
translating  the  Scriptures  into  the  Shanscrit,  Bengalee, 
Hindoostanee,  Persian,  Mahratta,  Guzerattee,  Orisa, 
Carnata,  Telinga,  Burmah,  Assam,  Bootan,  Tibet, 
Chinese,  and  Malay  I^anguages.      About  15  thousand 


SERAMPOKE  LETTERS.  1 19 

rupees  have  been  subscribed  for  this  purpose,  which  is 
lodged  in  a  bank  at  Calcutta. 

We  need  your  Councils  your  prayers,  and  your 
effectual  support;  and  we  assure  ourselves  that  you  ever 
bear  us  upon  your  hearts.  May  the  best  of  Blessings 
return  into  your  own  bosoms  ! 

If  God  pour  out  his  spirit  ' '  this  wilderness  will  soon 
become  a  fruitful    field.      The  little   one   shall   soon 
become  a  thousand  and  the  small  one  a  strong  nation." 
On  this  rests  all  our  hope. 
Dear  Brethren 

We  remain  Yours 

In  everlasting  bonds, 
W  Carey 
J.  Marshman 
W  Ward 
J  Biss 
W  MooRK 
J  RowE 
F.  Carey 

Serampore, 

June  24th,  1806. 

A  short  letter  from  Richard  Mardon  and  another 
general  letter  to  the  Society  are  also  placed  before  the 
reader  (the  latter  by  the  kindness  of  Sir.  W.  T.  I^ewis), 
being  the  record  of  the  Mission  up  to  the  summer  of 
1807. 


120  SERAMPORE  LETTERS, 

SeramporK,  Deer.  i6,  1806. 

My  dkar  Sir: — 

Once  more  I  embrace  an  opportunity  to  tell  you  what 
is  doing,  and  how  the  Lord  is  dealing  with  us  in  this 
part  of  the  world.  He  has  of  late  tried  us,  and  is  in- 
deed still  trying  us  in  various  respects.  But  this  we 
know,  that  what  he  does  is  always  best ;  he  is  too  wise 
to  err,  and  too  gracious  to  be  unkind.  The  greatest 
trial  at  present  is  the  restriction  of  our  labours  among 
the  natives.  We  are  shut  up  and  cannot  go  forth.  The 
great  men  seem  to  be  afraid  that  evangelizing  the 
heathen  will  alienate  their  hearts  from  them.  Did 
they  know  what  true  Christianity  means,  they  would 
be  of  a  very  different  opinion.  I  trust  the  I^ord  in  his 
providence  will  soon  open  a  way  for  the  more  uni- 
versal extension  of  the  word  of  life  among  these  dark 
and  benighted  nations.  The  work  is  his,  and  he  will 
carry  it  on  in  his  own  time  and  way.  For  this  let  us 
earnestly  pray.     O  lyord,  let  thy  kingdom  come  ! 

Bror  Biss  has  for  a  long  time  been  under  the  afflict- 
ing hand  of  God  with  a  complaint  of  his  liver.  Vari- 
ous means  have  been  tried  for  his  recovery,  but  hitherto 
without  effect.  He  is  now  in  Calcutta  under  the  care 
of  Dr.  Hare.  His  opinion  is  that  the  only  remedy 
which  Bror  Biss  can  take  for  the  preservation  of  his 
life,  is  his  removal  to  a  colder  climate,  and  that  his  re- 
maining in  Bengal  another  hot  season  would  terminate 
his  life.     We  are,  therefore,  using  all  diligence  to  pro- 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS,  121 

cure  a  passage  for  him  and  his  family  to  England.  Bror 
Moore  is  now  in  Calcutta  for  this  purpose.  The  most 
probable  mode  of  conveyance  will  be  by  way  of  Amer- 
ica if  we  can  procure  a  passage  by  any  of  the  American 
ships  that  are  now  in  port.  You  may  probably  see  him 
once  more  in  New  York.  If  so,  he  will  be  able  to  give 
you  more  intelligible  information  of  the  state  of  this 
Mission,  perhaps,  than  any  of  us  could  do  by  writing  a 
whole  volume.  This  is  a  great  affliction  to  us  both  as 
it  respects  the  loss  of  our  Brother's  usefulness  in  this 
country,  and  also  the  heavy  expense  that  will  fall  upon 
the  Mission  in  sending  him  to  England,  which  under 
present  circumstances,  must  sink  us  very  low.  How- 
ever, we  must  submit  to  the  will  of  God,  and  we  ought 
to  do  it  cheerfully. 

Notwithstanding  these  things,  we  have  abundant 
reason  for  thankfulness  for  the  privileges  we  enjoy. 
The  work  of  the  Lord  is  still  going  on.  Several  of  our 
native  Bren  are  itinerating  in  different  parts  of  the 
country,  making  known  the  word  of  life,  and  Bren 
Carey,  Marshman  and  Ward  are  busily  engaged  in 
translating  and  publishing  the  Scriptures.  When  this 
is  accomplished,  India  will  enjoy  a  blessing  indeed. 
May  the  Lord  teach  the  inhabitants  how  to  prize  it. 
There  is  a  spirit  of  hearing  and  inquiry  manifested  in 
different  parts  of  the  country.  We  have  2  or  3  native 
bren  in  the  neighborhood  of  Malda,  who  preach  to 
great  multitudes  and  the  natives  solicit  their  attend- 


122  SERAMPORE  LETTERS. 

ance.     I  visited  that  neighborhood  last  summer  with  2 
native  brethren,  and  was  much  encouraged. 

Bror  Chamberlain  is  labouring  abundantly  about 
Cutna,  and  there  is  reason  to  hope  not  without  success. 
At  Calcutta,  the  face  of  things  wears  a  very  pleasing  as- 
pect. We  intend  as  soon  as  an  opportunity  offers,  to 
make  an  attempt  to  send  the  gospel  into  the  Empire  of 
Burmah.  Bror.  Chater  and  I  are  appointed  to  engage 
in  it.  We  are  now  waiting  for  a  conveyance.  The  Lord 
has  lately  sent  several  eminently  pious  and  zealous 
ministers  of  the  church  of  England  into  this  country, 
in  which  we  greatly  rejoice.  He  will  carry  on  His 
work.  The  perusal  of  the  most  recent  accounts  that 
have  arrived  of  the  state  of  religion  in  America  grati- 
fied me  very  much.  I  long  to  see  more.  Mrs.  M. 
unites  in  love  to  yourself,  Mrs.  W.  and  all  our  kind 
friends  in  N.  Y. 

I  remain,  yours  affectionately,  &c. 

R.  Mardon. 

To   THK  SOCIKTY 

SERAMPORE,  Jmie  25th,  1807. 

Very  dear  Brethren. 

With  pleasure  we  embrace  an  opportunity  of  renew- 
ing our  quarterly  correspondence,  &  of  communicat- 
ing to  you  a  few  things  which  have  taken  place  among 

us  since  our  last. We  are  still  called  upon,  as  in 

times  past,  to  mingle  our  prayers  &  our  sorrows  with 
yours.     We  do  not  as  yet  behold  any  remarkable  out- 


SERAMPORE   LETTERS.  1 23 

pouring  of  the  Spirit  nor  many  instances  of  conversion 
to  God,  yet  we  trust  that  the  work  of  the  Lord  is  going 
forward  in  some  degree  among  us. 

In  the  course  of  the  last  quarter  7  persons  were  add- 
ed to  the  Church  by  baptism.  On  the  5th  April  2  Na- 
tives were  Baptized,  Fukeerehund,  a  person  who  came 
hither  from  Sadhkalee  in  the  District  of  Krishnee- 
nagur,  &  Bhanumutty  sister  to  Futeek,  who  is  a 
member  of  the  church  at  Dinagepore.  On  the  3rd  of 
May  were  baptized  5  more,  4  of  whom  are  members  of 
one  family  residing  at  Calcutta,  Mr  Derozia,  his  wife 
&  2  Daughters.  They  have  a  long  time  attended  the 
preaching  of  the  Gospel  there.  Mr  and  Mrs  Derozia 
are  far  advanced  in  years.  The  other  person  is  a  Mr 
Oakey,  sergeant  in  the  army,  who  resides  in  Fort  Wil- 
liam. His  father  was  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church 
at  Kingstanley  near  Stroudwater  in  Gloucestershire. 

Bror.  Chamberlain  has  also  baptized  3  persons  at 
Cutna  one  of  whom  is  a  Koolin  brahman,  who  has 
14  wives,  Vindyabon,  a  Byragee,  &  Kangalee's  sister. 

April  4th.  Neeloo  &  Unna  who  had  been  several 
months  under  suspension  were  again  restored  to  Church 
fellowship.     Neeloo  has  since  then  been  excluded. 

May  3rd.  We  were  under  the  painful  necessity  of 
excluding  Bhyrrel  &  Bhagvat  for  improper  conduct. 

April  20th.  Three  Brethren,  Ram  Mohun,  Konnie, 
&  Kristno  Dass  were  set  apart  to  the  office  of  Deacons. 

May  31st.  Ram  Mohun  was  set  apart  to  the  work 
of  the  ministry 


124  SERAMPORE  LETTERS. 

Our  Bror  Balukram,  after  a  lingering  illness,  which 
he  seemed  to  bear  with  much  resignation,  quitted  these 
mortal  shores  on  the  13th  inst.  &  we  trust  is  arrived 
safe  in  glory. 

April  20.  Our  Bren.  at  Jessore  formed  themselves 
into  a  church,  &  appointed  Sheetaram  &  Koobeer 
to  the  office  of  Deacons.  At  present  they  have  no 
pastor —  Since  the  formation  of  the  Church,  Kristno 
and  Ram  Mohun  have  visited  them  alternately,  and 
administered  to  them  the  ordinance  of  the  lyord's  sup- 
per. They  must  necessarily,  under  present  circum- 
stances be  visited  monthly  by  some  Bror.  from  Seram- 
pore. 

Brother  Fernandez  has  lately  made  a  preaching  tour 
into  the  northern  parts  of  Bengal.  He  preached  in 
several  large  villages  and  markets.  ' '  Many  people  ' ' 
he  says  "heard  the  word  with  great  attention."  He 
intended  to  extend  his  circuit  to  the  Boundary  of  the 
British  Dominions,  but  as  some  parts  of  country  are 
much  infested  by  robbers  he  was  persuaded  to  return. 
He  intended,  after  his  return  to  take  another  tour  for 
about  a  fortnight  but  was  prevented  by  sickness.  His 
last  letter  informed  us  that  he  had  been  very  ill  but 
was  recovering.  May  the  Lord  prolong  his  life  to  a 
very  distant  period,  for  much  usefulness  in  his  Church. 

In  our  last  letter  we  informed  you  of  the  Departure 
of  Bren.  Mardon  &  Chaler  to  Rangoon,  for  the  sake 
of  avScertaining  the  practicability  of  forming  a  Mission 
Station  there.     We  have  now  to  inform  you  of  their 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS.  1 25 

return  to  Serampore.  They  left  Rangoon  April  17th 
&  arrived  here  May  23rd.  They  obtained  a  passage, 
free  of  expense,  by  a  ship  belonging  to  two  European 
gentlemen  at  Rangoon.  Their  report  relative  to  the 
object  of  the  Mission,  particulars  of  which  have  already 
been  sent  to  England,  encourages  us  to  hope  that  the 
lyord  will  open  a  door  for  the  Introduction  of  the  Gospel 
into  that  Empire. 

Bror.  Wm.  Carey,  Junr  and  5  Native  Brethren 
Kristno,  Kristno  Dass,  Sebukram,  Jagemaut,  «&  Go- 
vendhar  returned  from  an  itinerant  journey  to  Malta 
on  the  9th  of  April.  In  almost  every  place  which  they 
visited  the  people  came  crowding  around  to  hear  the 
word  of  life,  and  very  often  some  went  away  much 
affected.  In  the  course  of  their  journey  they  visited 
Mudnabatly,  also  Serasing  &  the  neighbourhood 
around.  On  their  return,  they  stopt  several  days  at 
Cutwah,  &  accompanied  Bro.  Chamberlain  to  Au- 
gradweep,  a  place  where  he  laboured  abundantly  to 
introduce  the  Gospel.  They  spent  two  days  there  in 
talking  to  the  people  &  met  with  a  little  opposition 

Only  Kristno  and  Sabukram  accompanied  Bror. 

William  to  Malta.  The  other  3  Bren.  had  been  itiner- 
ating in  that  neighbourhood  some  time  before. 

A  Petition  has  lately  been  presented  to  Government 
signed  by  1 16  of  the  inhabitants  of  Calcutta  for  permis- 
sion to  erect  a  chapel  there  for  the  use  of  Protestant 
Dissenters  which  was  granted.  The  walls  of  the 
Chapel  are  raised  ready  to  receive  the  roof.     In  the 


126  SERAMPORE  LETTERS. 

course  of  a  few  months  we  hope  it  will  be  finished  and 
opened.  Our  American  friends  have  given  us  a  fresh 
instance  of  their  liberality,  and  of  the  interest  which 
they  feel  in  the  diffiision  of  Gospel  light  among  the 
Heathen,  by  sending  out  an  additional  supply  2,400 
dollars  to  forward  the  oriental  translations. 

To-day  we  have  received  an  account  of  the  arrival  of 
5  boxes  from  England. 

This  dear  Brethren  is  the  substance  of  what  has 
taken  place  among  us  in  the  course  of  the  last  3  months. 
O  that  we  could  tell  you  of  Multitudes  of  the  Heathen 
crying  out  "Men  &  Bren.  what  shall  we  do?"  We 
long  to  see  a  Pentecost  but  we  must  wait  the  I^ord's 
appointed  time. 

Dear  Bren.  pray  for  us.     Pray  that  the  word  of  the 
lyOrd  may  have  free  course  in  India.     We  need  your 
prayers  and  all  the  help  that  you  can  render  us. 
We  remain 

Dear  Brethren 

Yours  in  the  Gospel  of  Christ, 
W  Carky 
J  Marshman 
WWard 
R  Mardon 
W  Moork 
J  Chatkr 
J  RowE 
Wm  Robinson 
F  Carky 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS,  \2J 

P.  S.  When  Capt  Wickes  was  here  he  mentioned 
accidentally  to  Bror.  Ward  his  having  incurred  a  con- 
siderable loss  by  the  laying  in  of  stores  for  our  Bren. 
Chater  &  Robinson  &c.  as  what  he  had  charged  the 
Society  did  not  reimburse  him.  Though  this  was 
mentioned  in  free  conversation  without  the  view  of  ob- 
taining anything  from  the  Society  yet  we  thought  that 
Capt.  Wickes  had  rendered  too  many  services  to  the 
Mission  of  Bengal  for  us  to  be  willing  that  his  family 
should  suffer  thereby. 

We  therefore  pressed  him  to  give  us  an  account  of 
the  extent  of  his  loss,  but  we  could  by  no  means  pre- 
vail upon  him,  &  we  were  at  last  constrained  to  give 
up  pressing  him  further,  after  getting  him  to  promise 
that  he  would  make  known  the  thing  to  the  Society, 
viz,  we  suppose  if  you  press  him  to  it. 

We  leave  these  facts  with  you  knowing  that  your  feel- 
ings &  ours  towards  this  dear  man  are  the  same. 

Revd.  A.  Fui.i<KR, 
Kettering, 

Northamptonshire, 
England. 

The  next  letter  written  by  Ryland,  in  the  summer  of 
1807,  ser\^es  to  present  one  effect  of  Christian  missions 
which  is,  perhaps,  not  as  often  dwelt  upon  as  it  might 
properly  be, — the  strong  bond  that  it  furnishes  between 
Christian  nations  united  in  missionary  effort.  Already 
the  mutterings  of  v*'ar  were  heard,  and  while  it  was  not 


128  SERA M PORE  LETTERS, 

till  i8i2  that  the  resort  to  arms  was  actually  had  be- 
tween England  and  America,  not  a  few  in  both  coun- 
tries were  eagerly  fomenting  the  growing  discontent ; 
but  among  those  who,  like  John  Ryland  and  John  Wil- 
liams, were  chiefly  concerned  for  the  extension  of  the 
reign  of  Him  whose  chosen  title  was  ''The  Prince  of 
Peace,"  no  prospect  of  war  between  Christian  nations 
could  be  anything  but  saddening,  and  far  as  their 
effort  and  influence  went,  the  bonds  of  union  were 
strengthened. 

28tli  Augt.,  1807. 
Dear  Sir: 

A  young  man  called  on  me  this  week,  who  says  he 
is  a  member  of  your  Church,  and  enquired  if  I  had  any 
thing  to  send  to  you  or  other  friends  at  New  York,  and 
tho'  I  am  now  uncommonly  hurried  by  some  extra 
business,  I  was  unwilling  to  let  him  go,  without  send- 
ing you  a  line.  I  hope  the  work  of  the  I^ord  is  going 
on  in  your  neighbourhood,  and  other  parts  of  the 
United  States ;  and  I  pray  God  to  prevent  any  discord 
from  taking  place  between  the  two  countries.  All 
war  is  dreadful ;  but  especially  that  between  Protestant 
States,  and  above  all  between  people  .sprung  from  the 
same  stock,  and  united  by  so  many  ties  as  ought  to  be 
felt  between  Englishmen  and  Americans.  But,  alas  ! 
we  are  all  miserable  sinners,  and  the  God  has  raised 
up  in  both  countries  many  who  begin  to  feel  as  saints, 
yet  they  themselves  are  imperfect,  and  have  but  little 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS.  1 29 

influence  in  regulating  the  concerns  of  nations.  We 
can  only  sigh  and  cry  for  the  madness  of  others  around 
us,  and  pray  God  to  check  their  selfish  passions,  and 
inspire  them  with  an  abhorrence  of  bloodshed.  Well 
may  the  whole  Creation  wait  with  earnest  expectation 
for  the  manifestation  of  the  sons  of  God,  in  hope  that 
the  Creation  itself  shall  be  delivered  from  the  bondage 
of  corruption  in  the  glorious  liberty  of  the  Sons  of 
God.  How  is  every  part  of  this  visible  universe  now 
abused  by  the  sin  of  man  !  and  how  little  do  even  the 
Children  of  God  look  at  prest  like  what  thc}^  should  be, 
or  even  like  what  they  shall  be,  in  the  latter  day  of 
glory.  We  are  much  obliged  to  our  American 
Brethren  for  their  generous  co-operation  in  favor  of 
our  East  Indian  Mission,  and  the  kindness  shown  to 
those  who  have  passed  by  the  way  of  the  United 
States  to  Serampore ;  as  well  as  for  their  late  kind- 
ness to  poor  Mrs.  Biss.  May  the  I^ord  abundantly 
reward  them,  for  what  they  have  done  for  disciples  in 
the  name  of  disciples  of  Jesus.  We  are  just  planning 
a  mission  to  Jamaica,  where  some  coloured  Brethren 
have  been  useful  to  a  considerable  degree,  but  are  ex- 
posed to  great  oppression  for  want  of  having  any  Euro- 
pean to  take  their  part.  I  have  this  week  heard  of  a 
renewed  attempt  to  deprive  them  of  all  liberty  of  con- 
science, by  a  most  iniquitous  and  oppressive  ordinance 
of  the  Magistrates  of  Kingston,  but  we  hope  our  Gov- 
ernment will  interfere  again  in  their  favor.  We  apply 'd, 
9 


130  SERAMPORE  LETTERS. 

a  year  or  two  ago,  with  some  good  effect,  and  obtained 
the  disannulling  of  an  act  of  the  Assembly.  But  the 
prest  attempt  is  much  worse  than  the  former. 

Brother  Fuller  was  here  about  3  weeks  ago,  at  our 
annual  meeting,  when  he  preached  the  sermon  before 
the  Education  Society,  and  spent  about  a  week  with 
us.  A  remarkable  work  of  grace  has  been  going  on 
at  Beckington,  about  20  miles  off,  under  the  Ministry 
of  a  very  worthy  man  of  the  name  of  Hinton.  Great 
additions  were  made  to  his  Church  last  year,  and  many 
more  are  under  concern  since. 

But  we  seldom  seem  to  fish  with  a  net,  as  you  have 
often  done  in  America.  It  is  very  uncommon,  I  mean, 
for  an  awakening  to  seem  to  run  through  a  town  or 
a  village.  The  most  singular  case  to  those  I  have  read 
of,  in  your  country,  was  the  awaking  at  Sheepshead  in 
lycicestershire  near  30  yrs.  ago,  when  my  dear  friend 
Guy  was  first  settled  there.  We  s'd.  bless  God,  how- 
ever, that  his  work  goes  on  at  all.  Oh  that  it  may 
extend  itself  widr.  in  every  direction,  both  here  and 
with  you.  Wishing  much  of  the  presence  and  blessing 
of  our  adorable  I^ord, 

I  remain.  Dear  Sir, 

Your  cordl  Bror. 

John  Ryi^and. 

As  the  correspondence  of  the  Serampore  missiona- 
ries with  the  churches  generally  in  America  increased, 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS,  131 

the  number  of  their  letters  to  those  who  had  been  first 
their  only  correspondents,  of  course,  diminished  ;  and 
during  the  years  between  1809  and  18 12,  but  few  letters 
seem  to  have  been  received  by  Mr.  Williams.  Three 
of  these,  from  Dr.  Carey,  Joshua  Rowe,  and  John 
Chamberlain,  respectively,  furnish  the  narrative  of 
events  at  the  mission  station  of  Serampore  during 
those  3^ears.  Bnt  that  the  interest  of  the  churches  in 
America  had  not  flagged  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  in 
1 8 10  still  other  missionaries  arrived  from  England, 
making  their  way  to  India  by  way  of  the  United 
States,  and  brought  with  them  commendatory  letters 
from  Andrew  Fuller.  Of  this  little  group  of  mission- 
aries, Messrs.  Johns  and  Lawson,  with  their  wives,  and 
a  Miss  Chafl&n,  no  very  full  record  is  now  obtainable. 
One,  at  least,  of  them,  Mr.  I^awson,  seems  to  have  been, 
for  a  time,  a  student  under  Sutcliff  at  Olney,  but  of  the 
rest  of  the  party  no  definite  information  has  been  re- 
ceived. The  three  letters,  therefore,  above  referred  to, 
must  serve  as  the  record  of  these  years. 

My  dkar  Bror. 

I  reed,  yours  by  our  Brethren  who  lately  arrived 
here  in  safety  from  America.  A  letter  from  you  is 
always  to  me  a  welcome  treat,  and  I  therefore  hope 
you  will  not  be  sparing  in  your  correspondence,  even 
though  I  should  prove  but  a  poor  correspondent  in 
return.     I  am  sure  that  if  you  rightly  judge  of  my 


132  SERAMPORE  LETTERS. 

engagements  you  will  easily  pardon  a  short  letter,  and 
if  you  rightly  judge  of  my  wants,  you  will  always 
favour  me  with  a  long  one. 

I  have  written  repeatedly  to  different  correspondents 
in  America  nearly  all  that  concerns  the  present  situa- 
tion of  the  Cause  of  our  Redeemer  in  India,  and 
scarcely  know  what  to  add,  as  scarcely  anything  new 
has  turned  up  since  I  wrote  my  last  letter  to  America. 
Small,  and  feeble  as  our  Redeemer's  interest  in  this 
country  now  is,  we  have  the  greatest  reason  to  rejoice 
in  what  the  lyord  has  done.  I  believe  the  number  bap- 
tized this  year  in  our  churches  amounts  to  fifty-six, 
and  by  the  end  of  the  year  I  trust  it  will  be  about 
sixty.  There  are  five  churches  now  organized  in 
Bengal,  and  one  in  the  Burman  Empire,  and  two 
stations  occupied  where  churches  are  not  yet  formed. 
One  of  them  is  on  the  borders  of  Bantan,  and  formed 
for  the  express  purpose  of  introducing  the  Gospel  into 
that  country.  A  Brother  is  going  in  a  few  days  to 
carry  the  word  of  life  to  Oorissa.  In  short  we  have 
the  utmost  reason  for  encouragement,  and  for  further 
exertion  in  the  cause  of  our  lyord  Jesus. 

The  translation  and  printing  of  the  word  of  God 
goes  forward  as  fast  as  it  can  reasonably  be  expected 
to  do.  The  entire  Bible  is  printed  in  the  Bengalee 
language,  and  a  second  edition  of  the  Pentateuch  is  in 
the  press.  In  Sangskrit  the  new  Testament  is  printed, 
and  the  old  Testament  nearly  to  the  end  of  Kxodus. 


SERAMPORE   LETTERS.  I  33 

In  the  Oorissa  language,  the  New  Testament,  one  vol. 
of  the  old  Testament,  viz,  Job.  Canticles  is  printed, 
and  to  about  the  Xly.  ch.  of  Isaiah  of  the  next  vol- 
ume. In  Hindoothannes,  the  N.  Test,  is  printed  to 
the  I  Epis.  of  Corinthians,  and  the  whole  Bible  trans- 
lated, except  the  Pentateuch,  and  from  i  Kings  to 
Esther.  In  the  Mahratta  language  the  New  Testa- 
ment is  printed  to  Acts  IV,  and  the  translation  of 
the  whole  Bible  considerably  advanced.  The  whole 
N.  Test,  is  nearly  translated  into  the  Chinese  language 
and  I  expect  that  the  gospel  by  Matthew  will  be 
printed  by  the  end  of  the  year.  The  whole  of  the 
Chinese  scriptures  must  be  printed  by  wood  plates, 
and  not  by  moveable  types  like  other  languages  ;  of 
course  the  labour  of  engraving  these  plates  is  very 
great.  We  have  twelve  workmen  constantly  employed 
in  this  department  alone.  The  whole  N.  Test,  and 
part  of  the  old  are  translated  into  the  language  of  the 
Sacks,  and  the  printing  in  that  language  is  begim. 
The  whole  N.  T.  and  part  of  the  old  are  translated 
into  the  Telinga  language,  and  into  the  Thurnata, 
but  the  printing  is  not  yet  begun.  It  is  necessary  for 
you  to  know,  in  order  that  you  may  estimate  the  diffi- 
culty of  this  work,  that  there  is  a  different  character 
used  for  each  of  these  languages,  except  one,  so  that 
we  have  to  cast  types  for  all  of  them,  and  except  in 
two  or  three  instances  our  types  are  the  first  ever  cast 
for  these   languages,   so  that  we   have  not   only  the 


134  SERAMPORE  LETTERS. 

languages  to  acquire  in  a  critical  and  grammatical 
manner,  but  we  are  also  obliged  to  attend  to  every  letter 
and  even  to  the  minutest  stroke  in  each  letter.  We 
have  to  fix  the  orthography  of  each  language  on 
rational  and  grammatical  principles,  and  to  correct  all 
the  errors  which  copyists  make,  who  have  no  rule  of 
spelling  but  their  own  fancy. 

We  began  about  three  years  ago  to  print  the  N.  Test, 
in  the  Gosjeratti  language,  but  relinquished  it  on 
account  of  some  circumstances  which  then  turned  up. 
The  copy  lies  by  us,  but  the  printing  has  not  yet  been 
resumed.  The  translation  into  the  Burman  language 
is  begun,  but  the  printing  has  not  yet  commenced ; 
it  probably  will  be  soon  begun,  as  we  have  cast  types 
in  that  character.  To  these  we  hope  soon  to  add 
the  language. 

My  paper  is  expended,  and  my  time  gone,  excuse  my 

abrupt  conclusion.     Pray  for  us,  and  believe  me  to  be 

Very  aflfecty  yours, 

W.  Carky. 
Cai^cuTTa,  7  Deer.  1809. 

SERAMPORE,  Dec.  19th,  1809. 
My  dbar  Brother  Wii^IvIAms  : 

I  received  yours  of  May  last  by  brother  Gordon  ;  and 
beg  you  to  accept  my  warmest  thanks  for  the  soul 
reviving  information  it  contained.  The  intercourse 
between  this  and  America  has  been  suspended  so  long, 
that  it  is  quite  a  treat  to  receive  a  letter  from  you.     I 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS.  1 35 

often  think  of  my  dear  friends  at  New  York  and  feel 
the  savor  of  those  happy  moments  I  have  spent  in  com- 
muning with  them.  We  have  received  the  liberal  con- 
tributions made  by  our  friends  at  New  York,  on  ac- 
count of  the  translations,  and  feel  exceedingly  thankful 
for  them.  The  prosperity  of  the  church  of  which  you 
are  the  pastor,  gladdens  my  heart.  Give  my  warmest 
love  to  all  who  are  the  members  of  it.  If  I  could  go  to 
New  York  as  easy  as  I  can  go  to  Calcutta,  I  should 
certainly  indulge  myself  with  the  pleasure  of  spending 
next  Sabbath  day  with  you  ;  but  since  this  cannot  take 
place,  let  us  be  looking  forward  to  the  time  when  we 
shall  meet  in  the  realms  of  eternal  days.  It  is  time  for 
me  to  have  done  with  these  expressions  of  affection 
towards  you,  and  go  on  to  a  subject  in  which  you  will 
feel  yourself  more  particularly  interested. 

You  have  no  doubt  heard  of  what  has  taken  place  in 
England,  relative  to  Missions  ;  as  also  the  impediments 
we  have  met  with  in  this  country.  I  am  happy  to 
inform  you  that  these  things,  which  to  human  appear- 
ance were  insurmountable,  appear  rather  to  have  for- 
warded the  cause  than  to  have  impeded  it.  It  is  easy 
for  God  to  bring  good  out  of  evil.  It  was  principally 
owing  to  these  impediments  that  we  thought  of  send- 
ing a  Mission  to  Rangoon  in  the  Burman  Empire. 
Brethren  Chater  and  Felix  Carey  are  settled  there. 
God  has  hitherto  favored  them  in  a  remarkable  man- 
ner.    Those  in  power  have  shewed  them  much  favour. 


136  SERAMPORE  LETTERS, 

They  have  built  a  Mission  house  and  a  number  of  Euro- 
pean traders  who  reside  there,  have  subscribed  some- 
thing handsome  towards  defraying  the  expense.  They 
have  made  considerable  progress  in  the  language,  and 
expect  soon  to  send  us  something  to  print.  Although 
that  Government  is  exceedingly  arbitrary,  yet  it  toler- 
ates all  kinds  of  religion  ;  and  those  who  are  public 
teachers  of  any  religion  are  allowed  privileges  which 
are  denied  even  to  those  who  fill  high  stations  under 
Government.  There  is  no  cast  among  the  Burmans, 
they  will  eat  or  drink  with  an  European  and  are  devoid 
of  many  of  those  prejudices  which  so  much  fetter  the 
natives  of  this  country.  Upon  the  whole,  our  brethren 
are  greatly  encouraged  to  go  forward,  and  surely,  we 
have  reason  to  hope  that  God  will  abundantly  bless 
their  undertaking.  Remember  them  in  your  addresses 
to  a  throne  of  grace.  It  is  a  matter  of  great  thankful- 
ness that  God  has  sent  his  gospel  to  this  populous 
country.  The  cause  of  Christ  prospers  in  Bengal.  We 
are  extending  our  missionary  exertions,  and  God  is 
from  time  to  time,  adding  unto  his  churches.  Oh ! 
that  they  may  be  such  as  shall  be  saved  with  an  ever- 
lasting salvation.  About  57  have  been  baptized  this 
year,  at  Serampore,  Calcutta,  Dingapore,  Goamalty 
Jessore  and  Berhampore.  Twenty-seven  of  this  num- 
ber were  baptized  at  Berhampore,  and  belong  to  His 
Majesty's  22nd  Regiment  which  is  now  lying  at  that 
military  station.  These  persons  had  long  formed  a 
religious  society,  and  were  at  length  convinced  of  the 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS.  1 37 

truth  of  believers'  baptism  by  reading  their  Bibles. 
When  they  found  that  Brother  Chamberlain,  whose 
station  is  a  day  or  two's  journey  from  Berhampore,  was 
a  Baptist,  they  solicited  him  to  baptize  them.  At  first, 
by  the  influence  of  a  clergyman  who  resides  there,  their 
head  officer  interfered,  in  consequence  of  which  their 
baptism  was  postponed  for  some  time;  but  at  length 
they  have  been  permitted  to  follow  their  I^ord  in  his 
appointed  way.  Bro.  Chamberlain  often  visits  them  ; 
he  is  now  gone  thither,  and  expects  to  baptize  two  or 
three  more.  There  are  two  or  three  among  them  who 
have  gifts  for  public  speaking,  and  when  they  have  no 
other  means,  they  give  a  word  of  exhortation.  It  is  a 
pleasing  thing  to  see  so  many  pious  men  in  a  Regiment 
of  Soldiers.  Would  to  God  there  were  so  many  in 
every  Regiment.  We  have  an  Armenian  brother  set- 
tled in  Jessore.  He  has  lately  been  set  apart  to  the 
work  by  the  laying  on  of  hands.  In  the  course  of  the 
last  six  weeks,  he  has  baptized  several  natives.  Last 
Ordinance  Sabbath,  he  administered  the  Lord's  Supper 
to  eleven  persons  besides  himself.  Many  are  inquiring 
respecting  the  gospel  in  Jessore,  and  I  hope  God  has  a 
great  work  to  do  there.  In  Bheerboom  several  of  the 
natives  have  renounced  their  gods,  and  are  enquiring 
about  Christ  and  his  salvation.  May  the  Lord  lead 
them  in  the  right  way.  Brother  Mardon  is  still  at 
Goamalty.  Some  months  ago  he  met  with  much 
encouragement,  but  now  the  interest  there  is  very  low. 
He  has  baptized  several,  two  or  three  of  whom,  we 


138  SERAMPORE  LETTERS. 

hope,  have  died  in  Jesus.  One  or  two  have  left  him,  so 
that  at  present  the  church  there  is  in  a  low  state.  It  is 
a  delightful  thought  that  God  can  and  we  have  reason 
to  hope,  will  revive  his  work  there.  Brother  Moore  has 
been  sometime  at  Miniary,  but  is  now  on  his  way  to 
Bankipore,  near  Patna.  He  intends  setting  up  a  school 
at  this  place  as  a  means  of  supporting  the  station. 
Brother  William  Carey,  Junr.  resides  at  Sadamahl,  near 
Dingapore.  Brother  Carey  has  the  happiness  of  having 
two  of  his  sons  missionaries.  Oh  !  that  God  may  raise 
up  the  three  boys  which  he  has  given  me  to  be  pillars 
in  his  church,  when  I  am  laid  in  the  silent  grave.  We 
are  just  going  to  send  Brother  John  Peter,  a  member  of 
the  church  at  Calcutta  into  Orissa,  as  a  missionary. 
Since  we  opened  the  chapel  at  Calcutta,  which  was  in 
January  last,  the  congregation  has  doubled.  Many 
have  been  added  to  the  church,  and  others  are  coming 
forward.  A  few  months  ago,  brother  Carey  was  dan- 
gerously ill ;  but  blessed  be  God  he  is  now  perfectly 
recovered. 

I  have  only  time  to  add  that  Mrs.  Rowe  unites  in 
love  to  you,  Mrs.  Williams,  and  all  the  dear,  dear 
friends  at  New  York. 

I  am,  My  dear  brother. 

Most  affy.  yours, 

J.  RowK. 
P.  S. 

I  enclose  you  a  specimen  of  our  translation.  The 
brethren  have  forwarded  a  number  of  these  works  to 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS.  1 39 

Dr.  Staughton,  to  send  to  you.  They  beg  you,  when 
you  have  gratified  your  friends  with  a  sight  of  them,  to 
present  them  to  any  public  body  you  may  think  proper. 
The  same  works  have  been  sent  to  Doctors  Staughton, 
Rogers  and  Baldwin,  for  the  same  purpose.  You  will 
therefore,  please  to  be  careful  not  to  present  them  to 
any  to  whom  the  other  gentlemen  send  them.  We  have 
also  sent  to  Dr.  Staughton  a  Memoir  containing  an  ac- 
count of  the  progress  of  our  translations,  and  the  monies 
received  and  expended,  which  you  will  no  doubt  see. 

Since  writing  the  above,  Bro.  Ward  has  reed,  a  letter 
from  Bro.  Chamberlain,  by  which  we  find  that  he  has 
baptized  nine  more  of  the  soldiers,  in  the  22nd,  and 
that  there  are  3  others  seriously  examining  the  subject. 

SERAMPORE,  Octr.  28th,  1812. 

My  dear  Bror. 

It  is  a  long  time  since  I  wrote  to  you.  Your  affec- 
tionate letter,  which  came  to  hand  a  few  months  ago 
reminded  me  of  my  great  neglect  of  a  very  kind  friend. 
But  apologies  are  useless. 

I  thank  you  for  your  remembrance  of  me.  I  am  not 
worthy  of  your  notice,  but  the  work  in  which  I  am 
engaged  is  worthy  of  all  honour.  I  have  not  forgotten 
my  dear  Brethren  and  Sisters  at  New  York ;  I  have 
frequently  rejoiced  to  hear  of  your  prosperity.  Blessed 
be  the  God  of  all  grace  who  has  kept  you  as  his  own 
people  and  gladdens  you  with  success  in  his  work. 

You  have  heard  of  my  leaving  Bengal  and  of  my 


140  SERAMPORE  LETTERS. 

going  to  Agra.  This  will  inform  you  of  my  removal 
thence  and  of  the  probability  of  my  settling  again  in 
Bengal.  I  was  sent  down  under  an  arrest  by  orders  of 
the  Government,  but  on  what  account,  I  know  not. 
Government  gives  no  accounts  of  matters.  A  word  is 
law  here  without  any  assigned  reason.  Had  I  by  any 
imprudence  brought  this  upon  myself,  I  should  have 
been  distressed,  but  being  conscious  of  innocence,  my 
heart  has  rather  exulted  in  this  unfavorable  event  than 
been  discouraged  by  it.  When  will  the  rulers  of  the 
earth  be  wise  ?  In  this  country  they  are  exceedingly 
jealous  of  that  which  would  be  their  stability,  and 
foster  that,  which,  if  God  do  not  graciously  prevent 
will,  it  is  very  probable,  be  their  overthrow.  Nothing 
is  opposed  in  this  country  but  true  Christianity.  Hindoos 
may  burn  their  poor  women,  drown  one  another,  bury 
one  another  alive,  with  impunity,  if  not  with  approba- 
tion. Musselmen  and  Hindoos  have  their  temples  and 
mosques  supported  by  the  Government,  and  Roman 
Catholics  are  assisted  and  permitted  to  do  what  they 
please.  A  drunken,  proud,  tyrannical  man,  or  a 
whoremonger  may  be  a  chaplain  to  their  stations,  but 
a  Protestant  missionary  is  to  be  driven  about,  and  sus- 
pected of  everything  that  is  wicked,  and  the  pious  and 
zealous  clergyman  is  persecuted  and  despised.  Yet 
blessed  be  God,  truth  triumphs  in  the  midst  of  these 
unfavorable  circumstances,  and  we  rejoice  in  hope  of 
seeing  its  success  more  abundant,  and  more  conspicu- 
ously glorious  through  the  opposition  which  it  meets. 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS,  I4I 

At  Agra,  we  had  much  family  affliction.  Our  three 
children  were  removed  from  us  by  death,  but  we  have 
abundant  cause  to  praise  the  Father  of  mercies  for  his 
goodness  to  us.  We  had  a  pretty  school  and  a  small 
congregation  of  Europeans  to  which  I  preached,  and  I 
hope  not  in  vain.  Just  before  our  departure,  I  baptized 
one  and  had  we  continued,  probably  some  more  had  been 
baptized  before  this  time.  There  were  several  respect- 
ing whom,  we  have  a  pleasing  hope  that  the  I^ord 
Jesus  has  been  manifested  to  them,  through  the  Holy 
Spirit's  blessing  on  the  means  of  grace.  The  transla- 
tion of  the  New  Testament  into  the  Hinduwee,  I  was 
enabled  to  begin,  and  the  four  Gospels  are  nearly  fin- 
ished for  printing,  and  a  great  multitude  of  the  natives 
heard  the  word  of  salvation.  Our  journey,  we  hope, 
will  not  have  been  in  vain,  in  which  many  parts  of  the 
N.  T.  were  distributed  in  many  places,  and  many 
people  heard  the  gospel.  A  missionary  has  this  to 
encourage  him  that  in  the  cause  of  Truth  no  great  effort 
shall  be  lost.  Its  success  may  not  be  apparent,  but  it 
shall  have  its  weight  in  the  opposition  to  the  cause  of 
the  Evil  One. 

I  have  spent  many  a  pleasant  half  hour  with  our  new 
Bren.  and  Sisters,  whom  the  good  hand  of  God  has 
brought  to  us,  in  conversing  about  America.  We  are 
glad  to  hear  of  you  and  your  prosperity.  Remember 
me  affectionately  to  my  kind  friends  Smith  and  Caldwell 
and  Broughton,  who,  I  am  informed  is  with  you.  It 
would  have  afforded  me  much  pleasure  to  have  had  a 


142  SERAMPORE  LETTERS, 

line  from  him  and  his  family.  Present  my  thanks  to 
them  for  their  former  kind  regards  to  me.  I  shall  be 
much  gratified  to  hear  from  them  frequently. 

I  would  most  cheerfully  fill  this  sheet,  were  I  not 
quite  jaded  with  letter  writing.  Present  my  love  to 
your  Bren.  in  the  Gospel  who  may  have  known  me. 
Mrs.  C.  unites  in  regards  to  your  spouse.  Peace  and 
prosperity  attend  you  at  home  and  abroad. 
I  am, 
Yours  in  the  bonds  of  the  Gospel, 

26th  Octr.  J.  Chambe;ri,ain. 

President  Madison's  war  message  was  sent  in  June 
I,  181 2,  and  on  the  i8th  of  June  war  was  declared  with 
Great  Britain.  All  the  efforts  of  those  who,  on  both 
sides  of  the  sea,  had  deprecated  war  were  in  vain,  and 
the  inevitable  conflict  came  ;  but  even  the  actual  exist- 
ence of  hostilities  could  not  destroy  the  bands  which 
knit  together  the  hearts  of  those  united  even  by  a  more 
sacred  tie  than  that  of  country  ;  and  in  the  very  month 
of  October,  when  Decatur  was  winning  his  victories  on 
the  ocean,  and  those  who  spoke  the  same  language  and 
sprang  from  the  same  mother-stock  were  waging  fierce 
warfare,  William  Carey,  at  Serampore,  was  writing  to 
John  Williams  in  New  York  a  letter  which  was  to  be 
the  signal  for  a  new  campaign  of  peaceful  but  more 
glorious  conquest,  in  which  England  and  America,  no 
longer  foes,  were  to  be  generous  rivals. 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS.  I43 

In  June,  1810,  Adoniram  Judson,  a  young  theologi- 
cal student  at  Andover  Seminar>',  had,  with  a  few  of 
his  associates,  prepared  a  memorial  which  they  pre- 
sented to  the  Association  of  Congregationalist  ministers 
meeting  at  Bradford,  in  Massachusetts.  In  this  memo- 
rial they  asked  the  advice  of  their  elders  in  the  min- 
istry as  to  their  own  engaging  in  the  work  of  foreign 
missions,  and,  as  a  consequence  of  the  memorial,  the 
Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions  was 
formed  ;  and  on  the  19th  of  February,  181 2,  Messrs. 
Judson  and  Newell,  with  their  wives,  sailed  from  Salem, 
Massachusetts,  for  Calcutta,  to  be  followed  by  Messrs. 
Hall  and  Nott,  with  their  wives  and  Mr.  Rice,  who 
sailed  from  Philadelphia  on  the  24th  of  the  same  month. 
The  story  of  that  eventful  voyage  is  best  told  in  Dr. 
Carey's  own  words : 

My  dkar  Brothkr  : 

It  is  a  long  time  since  I  wrote  to  you.  My  ntuner- 
ous  avocations  must  be  my  apology,  and  indeed  this 
apology  is  the  true  one,  for  want  of  will  is  not  the 
cause.  I  shall,  however,  now  write  you  a  short  note 
to  make  amends  for  my  long  silence,  and  request  a  con- 
tinuance of  your  correspondence. 

You  as  well  as  myself  are  acquainted  with  the  cir- 
cumstances of  five  brethren  having  been  sent  from 
America  to  begin  a  mission  in  .the  East.  They  have 
all  safely  arrived  at  this  place.     Government,  however, 


144  SERAMPORE  LETTERS, 

have  absolutely  refused  to  let  them  stay  here,  and  have 
peremptorily  ordered  them  to  leave  the  place,  and  not 
to  settle  in  any  country  belonging  to  Great  Britain  or 
her  allies.  We  have  tried  our  interest,  but  have 
succeeded  no  further  than  to  gain  permission  for  them 
to  go  to  the  Isle  of  France,  to  which  place  Brother  and 
Sister  Newell  went  before  the  arrival  of  the  other  three. 
It  soon  appeared  that  the  mind  of  Brother  Judson  had 
been  much  employed  upon  the  subject  of  believer's 
baptism,  and  in  a  little  time  after  his  arrival  he  and 
Sister  Judson  wished  to  be  baptized,  with  which  we 
complied,  and  they  were  both  baptized  publicly 
at  Calcutta  in  the  name  of  the  blessed  Trinity.  I 
inquired  of  Brother  Judson  what  could  have  induced 
him  to  take  this  step,  to  which  he  replied  that  on  his 
voyage  he  thought  much  of  the  prospect  of  meeting 
with  us  at  Serampore.  He  knew  that  we  were  Bap- 
tists, and  supposed  that  he  might  probably  be  called  to 
defend  infant  baptism  among  us.  This  led  him  to  ex- 
amine the  evidence  for  it ;  and  the  further  he  proceeded 
in  this  examination  the  clearer  the  evidence  for  baptiz- 
ing believers  only,  and  that  by  immersion,  appeared. 
He  frequently  conversed  with  Mrs.  Judson  upon  the 
subject,  which  was  the  occasion  of  her  thinking  as  he 
did  upon  that  ordinance.  Since  his  baptism  he 
preached  a  very  excellent  discourse  upon  the  ordinance, 
which  we  intend  to  print,  with  an  account  of  the 
change  in  his  views  in  his  own  words. 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS.  I45 

Since  his  baptism  I  hear  Brother  Rice  has  been 
thinking  closely  upon  the  subject,  and  to-night  I  was 
informed  that  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  follow  our 
I^ord  in  his  ordinance.  He  disputes  the  matter  with 
his  other  brethren,  and  it  is  difficult  to  say  what  will 
be  the  effect  of  his  conversations. 

Now,  what  is  to  be  done  with  these  brethren  ?  They 
expect  to  be  discarded  by  the  Board  of  Commissioners 
for  Oriental  missions.  We  shall  advance  them  tem- 
porary supplies,  but  we  are  not  able  to  invite  them  to 
become  missionaries  for  the  Baptist  Mission  Society 
without  first  writing  to  England  and  receiving  our 
brethren's  consent.  Our  brethren  Judson  and  Rice 
would  also  be  glad  to  be  American  missionaries. 

Cannot  our  Baptist  brethren  in  America  form  a  mis- 
sionary society,  either  auxiliary  to  our  society  in  Eng- 
land or  distinct  from  it,  as  may  appear  most  eligible, 
and  take  these  brethren  as  their  missionaries  ?  I  believe 
they  are  men  of  the  right  stamp.  They  intend  to  settle 
eventually  on  the  Island  of  Java,  but  must  first  go  to 
the  Isle  of  France  on  account  of  the  orders  of  govern- 
ment. One  of  our  brethren  is  also  going  thither,  viz, 
to  Java.  We  will  give  them  advice  and  everything 
else  within  our  power. 

I  think  this  circumstance  opens  a  new  scene  of  duty 
to  our  Baptist  brethren  in  America  ;  and  though  I  am 
persuaded  that  their  proper  sphere  of  action  is  among 
the  Indians  of  North  and  South  America,  and  in  the 


146  SERAMPORE  LETTERS. 

West  India  Islands,  yet  this  extraordinary  call  should 
not  be  lightly  passed  over. 

The  Lord  is  still  carrying  on  his  work,  about  twenty 
persons  are  now  expecting  to  join  the  church  at  Cal- 
cutta and  to  be  baptized  in  a  month  or  two  more. 
I  am  very  affectionately  yours, 

W.  Carky. 
Cai^ut^a,  Oct.  20,  1812. 

But  a  few  days  could  have  elapsed  after  the  receipt 
of  this  letter  when  the  following  overture  was  received 
from  the  brethren  in  Boston  : 

Boston,  March  23,  1813. 
Dear  Brother  : — 

By  the  arrival  of  the  Reaper  in  this  port,  last  Satur- 
day, from  India,  letters  have  been  received  from  sev- 
eral of  our  friends  in  Calcutta,  particularly  from  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Judson,  Dr.  Marshman  and  Mr.  Rice.  The 
latter,  like  Mr.  Judson,  has  been  constrained  to  ex- 
amine the  subject  of  Christian  baptism,  and  has  come 
to  the  same  result.  He  was  not  baptized  on  Oct.  22, 
but  expected  to  be  soon. 

This  change  of  sentiment,  he  has  stated  (as  he 
informs  us)  to  Dr.  Worcester,  the  Secretary  of  the 
Board  of  Commissioners  for  foreign  missions.  He  has 
also  concluded  by  the  advice,  or  in  concurrence  with 
the  Baptist  brethren  at  Serampore,  to  go  with  Mr. 
Judson  to  the   Island  of  Java.     Dr.   Marshman  and 


SERAMPORE  LETTERS.  14/ 

both  of  the  above  brethren  unite  in  urging  the  forma- 
tion of  a  Baptist  mission  society  in  this  country,  in 
order  to  take  up  those  brethren,  and  direct  and  sup- 
port them  independently  of  our  English  brethren,  or 
as  an  auxiliary  to  the  Baptist  society  in  England. 

Dear  brethren,  the  events  which  have  taken  place  in 
relation  to  the  foregoing  missionaries,  are  highly  inter- 
esting and  important.  The  voice  of  divine  providence 
in  them  seems  loudly  to  call  for  our  speedy  attention 
and  assistance.  We  have  already  two  societies  formed, 
as  you  will  perceive  by  the  accompanying  circular, 
which  have  this  objective  view.  But,  dear  brethren, 
we  want  your  advice  and  assistance.  We  would 
gladly  engage  all  our  churches  throughout  the  United 
States  in  this  great  work  of  sending  the  preached 
gospel  among  the  heathen.  The  difficulty  seems  to 
be,  in  part  at  least,  to  fix  upon  a  proper  plan.  Can 
you  devise  and  propose  any  plan  for  forming  an  Ex- 
ecutive Committee,  with  sufficient  power  to  carry  into 
effect  our  united  efforts  ?  There  must  be  somewhere  a 
common  center,  a  general  treasury  into  which  all  the 
money  in  whatever  way  raised  may  flow.  We  have 
no  anxiety  whether  this  deposit  should  be  in  Salem, 
Boston,  New  York  or  Philadelphia,  provided  we  can 
only  fall  upon  a  plan  that  will  unite  all  hearts. 

The  society  in  Salem  have  already  collected  more 
than  I500,  and  have  voted  one-half  for  the  support 
of  Mr.  Judson  and  the  other  for  the  translation. 


148  SERAMPORE   LETTERS. 

Our  infant  society  in  Boston  has  almost  without  any 
effort  received  subscriptions  to  the  amount  of  nearly 
$400.  It  will  soon  be  increased,  no  doubt,  to  several 
hundreds  more. 

Will  you,  dear  brethren,  give  us  your  advice  on  the 
following  points,  viz : 

1.  Will  it  be  best  at  present  to  request  our  Baptist 
brethren  in  England  to  take  these  young  men  under 
their  patronage  and  to  consider  us  only  as  an  auxiliary 
society  ? 

2.  Shall  we  attempt  to  appoint  and  support  them 
ourselves  ;  if  so,  who  shall  appoint  them  ? 

We  cannot  doubt  but  the  subject  must  impress  you 
in  a  similar  manner  as  it  does  us,  and  hence  hope  for 
your  cordial  co-operation.  We  hope  your  late  efforts 
in  raising  money  for  repairing  the  loss  at  Serampore 
by  the  late  fire  will  not  discourage  you  in  the  present 
undertaking,  as  we  will  most  cheerfully  advance  the 
first  necessary  installment.  We  are,  dear  brethren, 
very  respectfully  yours  in  the  gospel  of  a  precious 
Saviour, 

Thos.  BAI.DWIN, 
lyUCIUS  BoiyivKS, 
To  Dani..  Sharp. 

Revd.  Jno.  Wii.i<iams, 
''     Jno.  Stanford, 

ArCHIBAIvD  MACI.AY, 

Daniki.  Hatt, 
Cornelius  P.  Whycoff. 


SERAMPORE   LETTERS,  I49 

With  this  letter  closes  our  narrative  of  the  inception 
of  missions  among  the  Baptists  of  America.  The 
succeeding  steps  in  the  formation  of  the  Triennial 
Convention,  which  has  developed  into  the  Baptist  Mis- 
sionary Union,  are  matters  of  familiar  history  and  need 
no  further  repetition  here  ;  but  a  word  or  two  of  review 
may  not  be  out  of  place. 

Perhaps  to  the  cultured  reader  who  has  glanced 
through  the  letters  here  presented,  the  prevailing  feel- 
ing will  be  one  of  astonishment  at  the  simplicity  of  the 
men  who  wrote  these  letters,  and  at  the  unostentatious 
character  of  those  who  received  and  acted  upon  their 
suggestions.  Certainly,  it  was  a  plain,  almost  an 
illiterate,  company  who  inaugurated  this  mighty  move- 
ment ;  but  we  have  no  farther  to  seek  than  to  the  little 
band  of  Galilean  fisher-folk  to  find  the  elements  of 
power  and  of  permanence.  Of  the  work  of  those  first 
eleven,  it  was  said  that,  when  their  enemies  ''  per- 
ceived that  they  were  unlearned  and  ignorant  men, 
they  marvelled,"  and  it  will  not  be  strange  if  such 
marvelling  should  be  aroused  by  the  boldness  of  others 
who,  in  later  days,  had  learned  the  same  lesson  with 
Peter  and  John,  and,  like  them,  ' '  had  been  with  Jesus. ' ' 
Without  great  resources,  without  the  advantages  of 
education,  save  as  it  was  gained  by  slow  and  painful 
self -culture,  without  the  influence  of  friends,  except  as 
they  were  won  by  the  example  of  noble  and  self-sacri- 
ficing lives,  without  the  patronage  of  the  great,  and  in 
the  face  of  the  opposition,  not  only  of  the  infidel  and 


I50  SERAMPORE  LETTERS. 

the  scoffer,  but  also  of  the  nominal  church,  these  men 
wrought  their  work  for  God  and  for  humanity.  There 
was  no  glamour  of  romance  about  their  lives  ;  the 
homes  from  which  they  came  were  peasant  homes — 
'  *  apostates  from  the  loom  and  renegades  from  the 
anvil,"  their  courtly  critics  called  them  ;  and  even 
when  the  patient  industries  of  their  lives  had  won  for 
them  something  more  of  rank,  the  associations  of  their 
early  days  were  still  called  up  in  taunting  scorn. 
'  *  Was  not  Dr.  Carey  once  a  shoemaker  ? ' '  said  a 
young  British  officer,  who  had  just  met  him  at  a  social 
gathering  in  India.  "  No,  sir,"  said  Dr.  Carey,  quietly 
turning  on  the  questioner,  ' '  only  a  cobbler. ' '  But  it 
was  this  very  power  of  simplicity  and  readiness  to 
accept  just  the  station  and  just  the  portion  which  their 
Master  had  assigned  them,  that  gave  to  these  modem 
Apostles  their  power,  and  that  gave  to  their  work  its 
permanence  ;  and  from  the  simple  story  of  their  lives 
comes  back  to  us  that  refrain  of  mingled  rebuke  and 
encouragement  which  the  prophet  heard  from  the 
angel's  lips  :  "  Not  by  might  nor  by  power,  but  by  my 
spirit,  saith  the  I^ord  of  hosts." 


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